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THE   HISTORY  OF  OUR  NAVY 


JOHN     PAUL    JONES. 
From  a  mezzotint  of  the  painting  by  Notte. 


THE 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  NAVY 

FROM  ITS  ORIGIN  TO  THE  PRESENT  DAY 
177^-1897 

BY 

JOHN    R.    SPEARS 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  PORT  OK  MISSING  SHIPS,"    "THE  GOLD  DIGGINGS 
OF  CAPE  HOKN,"  ETC. 


WITH    MORE   THAN    FOUR    HUNDRED    ILLUSTRATIONS 
MAPS    AND    DIAGRAMS 


IN    FOUR    VOLUMES 


OF   THE 

I    UNIVERSITY   1 


VOLUME    I. 


NEW    YORK 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 

1897 


READIHO  ROOM 


COPYRIGHT,  1897,  BY 
CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 


MANHATTAN  PRESS 

474  W.   BROADWAY 

NEW  YORK 


TO    ALL    WHO    WOULD    SEEK    PEACE 
AND    PURSUE    IT 


211052 


PREFACE 

THIS  work  is  to  tell  the  story  of  the  Amer 
ican  navy  from  the  time  when  the  fathers  of 
the  nation  first  conceived  the  idea  of  sending 
warships  to  sea  "at  the  expense  of  the  Conti 
nent"  down  to  this  year  of  our  Lord  1897. 
It  seems  to  me  that  the  memory  of  what  the 
naval  heroes  of  the  nation  have  done  is  worth 
preserving  if  only  as  a  mark  of  gratitude — 
gratitude  to  the  men  whose  sole  incentive 
was  patriotism  and  whose  only  greed  was  for 
honor.  It  seems  worth  while  to  tell  anew  the 
story  of  these  men  who  had  a  noble  ambition. 
It  may  help  to  prevent  their  race  becoming 
extinct.  But  if  that  appeal  does  not  secure 
the  attention  of  the  reader,  let  me  say  that 
self-interest  demands  that  he  heed  the  lessons 
in  the  story  of  the  navy. 

Because  naval  officers  and  their  friends  are 
very  properly  jealous  of  their  rights  in  the 
matter  of  titles  and  rank,  it  is  necessary  to 
explain  that  officers  have  very  often  held  one 
rank  on  the  naval  list  while  entitled  to  a  higher 


x  PREFACE 

one  by  courtesy.  Farragut  was  a  midshipman 
under  Porter,  and  yet,  for  a  time,  while  in  com 
mand  of  a  captured  ship,  was  by  courtesy  called 
captain.  Lieutenant  Macdonough  was  entitled 
to  the  title  of  commodore  while  in  command 
on  Lake  Champlain.  I  have  in  nearly  all 
instances  used  the  title  which  courtesy  de 
manded,  but,  for  reasons  which  I  hope  will 
be  apparent,  the  title  of  actual  rank  seemed 
proper  at  times. 

To  sum  it  all  up,  I  am  bound  to  say  I  have 
tried  to  tell  the  story  accurately,  interestingly, 
and  usefully.  If  there  are  errors,  they  are 
unpardonable  blunders  ;  if  the  story  lacks  in 
terest  or  usefulness,  the  fault  is  entirely  with 
the  writer.  Any  story  of  the  navy — even  this 
one — should  rouse  the  enthusiasm  of  the  pa 
triot  because  of  the  stirring  character  of  the 
deeds  that  must  be  described  ;  and  I  believe 
that  when  the  reader  has  considered  it  well, 
he  will  conclude,  as  I  do,  that  because  of  the 
growth  of  civilization  and  the  spread  of  the 
pure  doctrines  of  Christianity  throughout 
the  world,  and  the  progress  in  the  arts  of 
making  guns  and  armor-plate  in  the  United 
States,  we  shall  continue  to  pursue,  for  many 
years,  our  daily  vocations  in  peace. 

J.  R.  S. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  I.     ORIGIN  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NAVY      .       i 

The  Curious  Chain  of  Events  that  Led  to  the  Creation  of  a  National 
Sea  Power — The  Gaspt?  Captured  by  Men  Armed  with  Paving-stones — 
Tea  Destroyed  in  Boston — The  Battle  of  Lexington  and  the  Attack 
of  the  Machias  Haymakers  on  the  Margaretta — British  Vengeance  on 
Defenceless  Portland  and  its  Effect  on  the  Continental  Congress — 
The  "  Colonial  Navy"  Distinguished  from  the  Temporary  Cruisers — 
The  First  Officers  and  the  First  Ships  of  the  American  Navy — John 
Paul  Jones  and  the  First  Naval  Ensign — The  Significant  "  Don't 
Tread  on  me  " — Putting  the  First  American  Naval  Ships  in  Commis 
sion. 

CHAPTER     II.       FIRST    CRUISE    OF    THE    YANKEE 

SQUADRON 48 

A  Fairly  Successful  Raid  on  New  Providence,  but  they  Let  a 
British  Sloop-of-war  Escape — Character  of  the  First  Naval  Com 
mander-in-chief  and  of  the  Material  with  which  he  had  to  Work — 
Esek  Hopkins,  and  his  Record  as  Commander  of  the  Fleet — Crews 
Untrained  and  Devoid  of  Esprit  de  Corps — Good  Courage,  but  a 
Woeful  Lack  of  other  Needed  Qualities — Hopkins  Dismissed  for 
Disobedience  of  Orders. 

CHAPTER  III.     ALONG  SHORE  IN  1776    .         .         .63 

Brilliant  Deeds  by  the  First  Heroes  of  the  American  Navy — Why 
Nicholas  Biddle  Entered  Port  with  but  Five  of  the  Original  Crew  of 
the  Andrea  Doria — Richard  Dale  on  the  sleek  Lexington — The  Race 
horse  Captured  in  an  even  Fight — Captain  Lambert  Wickes  in  the 
Reprisal  Beats  off  a  Large  Vessel — John  Paul  Jones  in  his  Earlier 
Commands — A  Smart  Race  with  the  Frigate  Solebay — Sixteen  Prizes 
in  Forty-seven  Days  in  Cape  Breton  Region — Poking  Fun  at  the 
Frigate  Milford—Tte.  Valuable  Mellish—bn.  Able  Fighter  who 
Lacked  Political  Influence. 


xii  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHAPTER   IV.     HE   SAW    "  THE  COUNTENANCE   OF 

THE  ENEMY" 84 

The  Story  of  Arnold's  Extraordinary  Fight  against  Overwhelming 
Odds  on  Lake  Champlain — A  Thousand  Sailors,  of  whom  Seven- 
tenths  were  Picked  Men,  Armed  with  the  Heaviest  Guns,  were 
Pitted  under  a  Courageous  Leader  against  700  Yankees,  chiefly  Hay 
makers,  Poorly  Armed  and  with  Insufficient  Ammunition — Savages 
with  Scalping  Knives  Aided  the  British — A  Desperate  Struggle  at 
the  End — The  Best  All-around  Fighter  under  Washington. 

CHAPTER  V.     UNDER  THE  CRAGS  OF  THE  "TIGHT 

LITTLE  ISLE"     .         .         .         .         .         .         .112 

The  Saucy  Yankee  Cruisers  in  British  Waters — When  Franklin 
Sailed  for  France — Wickes  in  the  Reprisal  on  the  Irish  Coast — 
Narrow  Escape  from  a  Liner — A  Plucky  English  Lieutenant— Harsh 
Fate  of  the  Americans  in  the  British  Prison — Starved  by  Act  of  Par 
liament — Deeds  of  the  Gallant  Connyngham — Well-named  Cruisers 
— A  Surprise  at  a  Breakfast  Table — Taking  Prizes  Daily — Why  Forty 
French  Ships  Loaded  in  the  Thames — Insurance  Rates  never  before 
Known. 

CHAPTER  VI.   JOHN  PAUL  JONES  AND  THE 

RANGER   .    .    .    .    .    .    .    -134 

The  First  Ship  that  Carried  the  Stars  and  Stripes — Dash  at  a  Con 
voy  that  Failed — When  the  Dutch  were  Browbeaten — The  Ranger 
Sent  on  a  Cruise  in  English  Waters — A  Ship  Taken  off  Dublin — The 
Raid  on  Whitehaven — When  one  Brave  Man  Cowed  more  than  a 
Thousand — The  Whole  Truth  about  Lord  Selkirk's  Silverware,  with 
the  Noble  Lord's  Expression  of  Gratitude  when  he  Got  it  Back — 
How  Captain  Jones  Missed  the  Drake  at  First,  but  Got  her  Later  on 
in  a  Fair  and  Well-fought  Battle. 

CHAPTER  VII.     THE  FIRST  SUBMARINE  WARSHIP  .   157 

It  was  Small  and  Ineffective,  but  it  Contained  the  Germ  of  a 
Mighty  Power  that  is  as  yet  Undeveloped— When  Nicholas  Biddle 
Died — He  was  a  Man  of  the  Spirit  of  an  Ideal  American  Naval 
Officer — Fought  the  Ship  against  Overwhelming  Odds  till  Blown  out 
of  the  Water — The  Loss  of  the  Hancock— An  American  Captain  Dis 
missed  for  a  Good  Reason — Captain  Rathburne  at  New  Providence 
— Loss  of  the  Virginia — Captain  Barry's  Notable  Exploit — With 


CONTENTS  xiii 

Twenty-seven  Men  to  Help  him,  he  Captured  a  Schooner  of  Ten 
Guns  by  Boarding  from  Small  Boats  in  Broad  Daylight,  although  the 
Schooner  was  Manned  by  116  Sailors  and  Soldiers. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  VIII.    PRIVATEERS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION  196 

A  Tale  of  the  American  Patriots  who  Went  Afloat  outside  of  the 
Regular  Navy — Their  Part  in  Driving  the  British  from  Boston — 
Remarkable  Work  of  the  Lee — Truxton  as  a  Privateer — Daring  Capt. 
John  Foster  Williams— When  Capt.  Daniel  Waters,  with  the  Thorn 
of  Sixteen  Guns,  Whipped  Two  Ships  that  Carried  Thirty-four  Guns 
between  them — Great  was  Joshua  Barney — The  Story  of  the  most 
Famous  State  Cruisers  of  the  Revolution — Won  against  Greater  Odds 
than  were  Encountered  by  any  Successful  Sea  Captain  of  the  War — 
British  Account  of  the  Work  of  American  Privateers — The  Horrors 
of  the  Jersey  Prison  Ship. 

CHAPTER  IX.     JOHN  PAUL  JONES  AND    THE  BON- 

HOMME  RICHARD  .         .         .         .         .         .227 

A  Condemned  Indiaman,  Ill-shaped  and  Rotten,  Fitted  as  a  Man- 
o'-war — A  Disheartening  Cruise  with  Incapable  and  Mutinous  Asso 
ciates — Attempt  to  Take  Leith,  and  the  Scotch  Parson's  Prayer — 
Meeting  the  Serapis — When  John  Paul  Jones  had  "not  yet  Begun 
to  Fight "  ;  when  he  had  "  Got  her  now  "  ;  when  he  would  not  "  Sur 
render  to  a  Drop  of  Water " — Ready  Wit  of  Richard  Dale — Work 
of  a  Bright  Marine — A  Battle  Won  by  Sheer  Pluck  and  Persistence. 

CHAPTER  X.     AFTER    THE  SERAPIS   SURRENDERED  260 

Richard  Dale  too  Bright  for  the  British  Lieutenant — A  Fair 
Estimate  of  Captain  Pearson  of  the  Serapis — The  Treachery  of 
Landais — Remarkable  Escape  from  Texel — Honors  for  the  Victor — 
"  The  Fame  of  the  Brave  Outlives  him;  his  Portion  is  Immortality." 

CHAPTER    XI.       THE    YEAR    1779    IN    AMERICAN 

WATERS 280 

Lucky  Raids  of  British  Transports  and  Merchantmen — Disastrous 
Expedition  to  the  Penobscot — The  TrumbulVs  Good  Fight  with  the 
Watt—  The  First  Yankee  Line-of-battle-ship — When  Nicholson, 
with  a  Wrecked  Ship  and  Fifty  Men,  Fought  for  an  Hour  against 
Two  Frigates,  each  of  which  was  Superior  to  the  Yankee  Ship — Cap 
tain  Barry's  Exasperating  Predicament  in  a  Calm — The  Last  Naval 
Battle  of  the  Revolution. 


xiv  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  XII.     BUILDING  A  NEW  NAVY         .         .  303 

When  England,  in  her  Efforts  to  Wrest  Commerce  from  the  Ameri 
cans,  Incited  the  Pirates  of  Africa  to  Activity,  she  Compelled  the 
Building  of  the  Fleet  that  was,  in  the  End,  to  Bring  her  Humility 
of  which  she  had  never  Dreamed — Deeds  of  the  Barbary  Corsairs — 
American  Naval  Policy  as  Laid  down  by  Joshua  Humphreys — The 
Wonderful  New  frigates — Troubles  with  the  French  Cruisers  on  the 
American  Coasts — Trick  of  a  Yankee  Captain  to  Save  a  Ship — A 
Midshipman  who  Died  at  his  Post — Capture  of  the  Insurgent — A 
Long  Watch  over  the  French  Prisoners — Escape  of  a  Twice-beaten 
Ship — The  Valiant  Senez — Story  of  Isaac  Hull  and  the  Lucky  Enter 
prise. 

CHAPTER  XIII.     WAR  WITH  BARBARY  PIRATES     .  333 

A  Squadron  under  Richard  Dale  Sent  to  the  Mediterranean — The 
Dey  of  Algiers  became  Friendly,  but  the  Bashaw  of  Tripoli  Showed 
Fight — Fierce  Battle  between  the  Schooner  Enterprise  and  the 
Treacherous  Crew  of  the  Polacre  Tripoli — Slaughter  of  the  Pirates — 
Tripoli  Blockaded — Grounding  and  Loss  of  the  Philadelphia. 

CHAPTER  XIV.    DECATUR  AND  THE  PHILADELPHIA  345 

Story  of  the  Brave  Men  who  Disguised  a  Ketch  as  a  Merchantman 
and  Sailed  into  the  Harbor  of  Tripoli  by  Night,  Drew  up  alongside 
the  Captured  Philadelphia,  and  then,  to  the  Order  "  Boarders 
Away  ! "  Climbed  over  the  Rail  and  through  the  Ports,  and  with 
Cutlass  and  Pike  Drove  the  Pirates  into  the  Sea  or  to  a  Worse  Fate — 
"  The  most  Bold  and  Daring  Act  of  the  Age." 

CHAPTER  XV.     HAND-TO-HAND  WITH  THE  PIRATES  359 

A  Fight  against  Odds  of  Three  Gunboats  to  One — Decatur  and 
Macdonough  Leading  the  Boarders — Cold-blooded  Murder  and  the 
Vengeance  that  Followed — When  Reuben  James  Won  Fame — Eleven 
against  Forty-three  in  a  Hand-to-hand  Struggle,  and  the  Remarkable 
Result — The  Handy  Constitution — Fired  their  Gun  as  the  Boat  Sank 
under  them — When  Somers  and  his  Mates  Went  to  their  Death  in  a 
Fireship — End  of  the  War  with  the  Pirates. 

CHAPTER  XVI.     WHY  WE  FOUGHT  IN  1812  .         .  383 

A  Stirring  Tale  of  the  Outrages  Perpetrated  on  American  Citizens 
by  the  Press-gangs  of  the  British  Navy — Horrors  of  Life  on  Ships 


CONTENTS  xv 

where  the  Officers  Found  Pleasure  in  the  Use  of  the  Cat — Doomed  to 
Slavery  for  Life — Impressed  from  the  Baltimore — A  British  Seaman's 
Joke  and  its  Ghastly  Result — The  British  Admiralty's  Way  of  Dealing 
with  Deliberate  Murder  in  American  Waters — Assault  of  the  Leopard 
on  the  Chesapeake  to  Compel  American  Seamen  to  Return  to  the 
Slavery  they  had  Escaped — Building  Harbor-defence  Boats  to  Protect 
American  Seamen  from  Outrage  on  the  High  Seas — Other  Good 
Reasons  for  Going  to  War. 

PAGE 

APPENDIX "...  415 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

JOHN  PAUL  JONES.  (From  a  mezzotint  of  the  painting  by 

Notte),  ........  Frontispiece 

AN  EARLY  AMERICAN  FLOATING  BATTERY,  i 

COMMODORE  ESEK  HOPKINS.  (From  a  French  engraving  of 

the  portrait  by  Wilkinson),  ......  3 

THE  FIRST  NAVAL  FLAGS, 4 

DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  SCHOONER  GASPE,  1772.  (From  an 

engraving  by  Rogers  of  the  painting  by  McNevin),  .  .  7 

THE  STATE  HOUSE  AT  NEWPORT,  SHOWING  THE  GASP& 
AFFAIR.  (From  an  engraving  in  Hinton's  "  History  of  the 
United  States "),  ........  10 

THE  "  BOSTON  TEA-PARTY."     (From  an  old  engraving),         .       13 

A  BRITISH  ARMED  SLOOP.  (From  a  very  rare  engraving, 
showing  the  first  lighthouse  erected  in  the  United  States — 
on  Little  Brewster  Island,  Boston  Harbor),  ...  19 

A  BRIG  OF  WAR  LOWERING  A  BOAT.  (From  a  picture  drawn 

and  engraved  by  Baugean),  ......  29 

THE  ADMIRALTY  SEAL,    ........       33 

THE  FOUNDERS  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NAVY.  (Drawn  by  I.  W. 

Taber — the  portraits  from  engravings),  37 

VESSEL  OF  WAR  SALUTING,  WITH  THE  YARDS  MANNED. 

(From  an  old  French  engraving),  .....  40 

FACSIMILE  OF  A  LETTER  FROM  ABRAHAM  WHIPPLE  TO  GEN 
ERAL  LINCOLN  DURING  THE  SIEGE  OF  CHARLESTON. 
(From  the  original  at  the  Lenox  Library),  ...  42 

NICHOLAS  BIDDLE.     (From  an  engraving  by  Edwin),       .         .       45 

A  FRIGATE  CHASING  A  SMALL  BOAT.  (From  an  old  French 

engraving), 48 

A  LETTER  FROM  ESEK  HOPKINS.  (From  the  original  at  the 

Lenox  Library),  ........  50 

A  CORVETTE.     (From  an  old  French  engraving),       ...       52 


xviii  LIST    OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

COMMODORE  ESEK  HOPKINS.     (From  a  very  rare  English  en 
graving),      -55 

AN  ENGLISH  "SEVENTY-FOUR"  AND  A  FRIGATE  COMING  TO 

ANCHOR.  (From  an  old  engraving),  ....  59 
JOHN  BARRY.  (From  an  engraving  of  the  portrait  by  Chappel),  65 
.FACSIMILE  OF  ACCOUNT  BETWEEN  DUDLEY  SALTONSTALL  AND 

ELISHA  HINMAN.  (From  the  original  at  the  Lenox  Library),  67 
ST.  PIERRE,  MARTINIQUE.  (From  an  old  engraving),  .  .  70 
JOHN  PAUL  JONES.  (From  an  engraving  by  Longacre  of  the 

portrait  by  C.  W.  Peale), 75 

BURLINGTON  BAY  ON  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN.      (From  an  old  en 
graving  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  W.  C.  Crane),  facing         .       83 
SIR  GUY  CARLETON.     (From  an  engraving  by  A.  H.  Ritchie),       86 
GEN.  BENEDICT  ARNOLD.     (Drawn  from  life   at   Philadelphia 

by  Du  Simitier), 88 

THE  ROYAL   SAVAGE.     (After  an  old  painting),         ...       90 

THE  BATTLE  OF  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN, 92 

PLAN  OF  THE  ACTION  OF  OCTOBER  12,  1776,         ...       93 
MAP  OF  THE  FIGHT  ON  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN,  1776,      ...       94 
THE  FIGHT  ON  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN,  OCTOBER  13,  1776.     (From 

a  contemporary   English   engraving),  ....       97 

A  VIEW  ON  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN,  SHOWING  THE  FIGHT  OF  1776. 

(From  Hinton's  "  History  of  the  United  States  "),       .         .     101 
BROADSIDE  DESCRIBING  THE  ENGAGEMENT  ON  LAKE  CHAM- 
PLAIN.     (From  a  copy  at  the  Lenox  Library),      .         .       106-109 
THE  PHOENIX  AND  THE  ROSE  ENGAGING  THE  FIRE-SHIPS  ON 
THE  HUDSON  RIVER.     (From  a  lithograph  of  the  painting 
by  Serres  after  a  sketch  by  Sir  James  Wallace),   .         .  115 

JOHN  BAZELEY.     (From  an  engraving  by  Ridley  of  a  miniature 

by  Langdon),      .........      120 

JOHN  PAUL  JONES'S  COMMISSION,     ......     136 

MAP  OF  THE  BRITISH  ISLES.     (Showing  Captain  Jones's  two 

voyages  and  the  route  of  the  Reprisal},         .         .         .  139 

AN  ENGLISH  CARICATURE  OF  JOHN  PAUL  JONES.     (Published 

in  London,  October  22,  1779),     ......     143 

"  PAUL  JONES  THE   PIRATE."      (From  an  old  engraving  in  the 

collection  of  Mr.  W.   C.  Crane), 149 

MAP  OF  THE  AMERICAN  COAST,      ......     161 

SIGNATURES  OF  JOHN  MANLY  AND  HECTOR  MCNEIL,   .        .     181 
FACSIMILE  OF  A  LETTER  FROM  THOMAS  THOMPSON  TO  CAP 
TAIN  McNEiL.     (From  the  original  at  the  Lenox  Library),  183-4 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS  xix 


A  TYPICAL  NASSAU  FORT — FORT  FINCASTLE.  (From  a  pho 
tograph  by  Rau),  ........  187 

AN  ENGLISH  FRIGATE  OF  FORTY  GUNS.  (From  an  engrav 
ing  by  Verico),  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  191 

"A  PROCLAMATION."     (From  the  copy  at  the  Lenox  Library),     198 

"AN  ORDINANCE  ASCERTAINING  WHAT  CAPTURES  ON  WATER 
SHALL  BE  LAWFUL."  (From  the  copy  at  the  Lenox  Li 
brary),  ..........  202 

ALEXANDER  MURRAY.     (From  an  engraving  by  Edwin  of  the 

painting  by  Wood),     ........     208 

JOSHUA  BARNEY.  (From  an  engraving  by  Gross  after  a  mini 
ature  by  Isabey),  .  .  .  .  .  .  •  ,210 

FIGHT  OF  THE  HYDER  ALI  WITH  THE  GENERAL  MONK,  1782. 
(From  a  painting  by  Crepin  at  the  Naval  Academy,  An 
napolis),  213 

A  RELIC  OF  Two  REVOLUTIONARY  CAPTAINS — BILL  OF  LAD 
ING  FOR  JOHN  BARRY  SIGNED  BY  JOSHUA  BARNEY. 
(From  the  original  at  the  Lenox  Library),  .  .  .  .216 

"THE  HOWES  ASLEEP  IN  PHILADELPHIA" — A  CARICATURE 
DRAWN  FORTH  BY  THE  DOINGS  OF  REVOLUTIONARY 
PRIVATEERS, 219 

THE  BRITISH  PRISON  SHIP  JERSEY.  (From  an  old  wood 
cut) ...  221 

A  PERMIT  TO  VISIT  ONE  OF  THE  PRISON  SHIPS.     (From  the 

original  at  the  Lenox  Library),    ......      223 

MAP  OF  THE  WALE  BOGT  AND  ITS  VICINITY,        .         .         .225 

A  RELIC   OF   THE  PRISON  SHIPS  :  ENTRANCE  TO  THE  VAULT 

OF  THE  MARTYRS.     (From  an  old  wood-cut),     .         .         .     226 

RICHARD  DALE.      (From  an  engraving  by  Dodson    after  the 

portrait  by  Wood), 231 

PIERRE  LANDAIS.     (From  a  copy,  at  the   Lenox  Library,  of  a 

miniature), 236 

LEITH  PIER  AND  HARBOR.     (From  an  old  engraving),     .         .     239 

JOHN  PAUL  JONES.     (From  an  engraving  by  Guttenberg,  after 

a  drawing  by  Notte,  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  W.  C.  Crane),     242 

THE  ENGAGEMENT  BETWEEN  THE  BONHOMME  RICHARD  and 
SERAPIS.  (From  an  engraving  by  Hamilton  of  a  drawing 
by  Collier) 246 

DIAGRAM  OF  THE  SERAPIS-BONHOMME  RICHARD    BATTLE,     .     249 

THE  SERAPIS  AND  THE  BONHOMME  RICHARD.  (From  an  en 
graving  by  Lerpiniere  after  a  drawing  by  Filler),  ,  .  252 


xx  LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAUL  JONES  CAPTURING  THE  SERAPIS.     (From  an  engraving 

of  the  picture  by  Chappel),          ......     258 

CAPT.  Sm  RICHARD  PEARSON.  (From  an  engraving  by 

Cook), 261 

JOHN  PAUL  JONES.  (After  a  rare  engraving),  .  .  .  263 
SIGNATURE  OF  RICHARD  DALE.  (From  a  letter  at  the  Lenox 

Library),     ..........      266 

A  LETTER  FROM  PIERRE  LANDAIS.  (From  the  original  at  the 

Lenox   Library),          ........      268 

JOHN  PAUL  JONES.  (From  a  miniature  recently  found  [1897] 

in  a  cellar  at  the  Naval  Academy),  .....  269 
JOHN  PAUL  JONES  (IN  COCKED  HAT).  (From  a  very  rare 

engraving  at  the  Navy  Department,  Washington),  .  .  271 
JOHN  PAUL  JONES.  (From  an  engraving  by  Chapman  in  the 

collection  of  Mr.  W.  C.  Crane),  .....  273 

JOHN  PAUL  JONES'S  MEDAL, 276 

JOHN  PAUL  JONES  AND  THE  SERAPIS  FIGHT.  (From  an  en 
graving  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  W.  C.  Crane),  .  .  .  278 
A  LETTER  FROM  JOHN  PAUL  JONES  TO  THOMAS  JEFFERSON. 

(From  the  original  at  the  Lenox  Library),  .  .  .  .279 
SIGNATURE  OF  HOYSTED  HACKER.  (From  a  letter  at  the 

Lenox  Library),  ........      283 

SIR  GEORGE  COLLIER'S  VICTORY  IN  PENOBSCOT  BAY,  1779. 

(From  a  very  rare  engraving  at  the  Lenox  Library),  .  .  285 
MAP  OF  THE  ATTACK  ON  THE  PENOBSCOT  FORT.  (From  a 

contemporary  map  at  the  Lenox  Library),  .  .  .  288-9 

SIGNATURE  OF  SAMUEL  NICHOLSON.  (From  a  letter  at  the 

Lenox  Library),  ........     290 

JAMES  NICHOLSON.  (After  a  miniature  in  the  possession  of 

Miss  Josephine  L.  Stevens),         ......     296 

AN  OLD  NAVAL  ORDER.  (From  the  original  at  the  Lenox 

Library), 301 

A  MEDITERRANEAN  CORSAIR  ANCHORING.  (From  a  picture 

drawn  and  engraved  by  Baugean),  .....  306 
JOHN  BARRY'S  COMMISSION  AS  COMMANDER  OF  THE  UNITED 

STATES.     (From  the  original  at  the  Naval  Academy,  An 
napolis),      ..........     3r3 

A  FRENCH  VESSEL  OF  118  GUNS,  A  CENTURY  AGO.  (From 

an  engraving  by  Canali),     .          .          .          .          .          .          .318 

DIAGRAM  OF  THE  INSURGENT-CONSTELLATION  BATTLE,  .  .  321 
A  FRENCH  VESSEL  OF  120  GUNS.  (From  an  engraving  by  Orio),  322 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS  xxi 

PAGE 

MEDAL  AWARDED  TO  THOMAS  TRUXTON,      ....     325 

PORTRAIT  OF  TRUXTON  AND  PRESIDENT  ADAMS'S  LETTER  TO 
HIM.  (P>om  a  lithograph  at  the  Naval  Academy,  An 
napolis),  ..........  326 

TRUXTON'S  MEDAL  AND  THE  CONGRESSIONAL  RESOLUTION 

AWARDING  IT  TO  HIM,  .......  327 

THE  SALLY  ATTACKED  BY  A  SEA-SERPENT  OFF  THE  SHORE 

OF  LONG  ISLAND.  (From  a  French  engraving),  .  331 

A  FRENCH  CUTTER  OF  16  GUNS.    (From  an  engraving  by  Merlo),     332 

BENJAMIN  STODDERT.  (From  a  painting  at  the  Navy  Depart 
ment,  Washington),  ........  334 

"  CAPTAIN  STERRETT  IN  THE  ENTERPRISE,  PAYING  TRIBUTE 

TO  TRIPOLI.''  (From  an  old  wood-cut),  ....  337 

A  SCHOONER-OF-WAR,  LlKE  THE  ENTERPRISE.       (From  a  WOOd- 

cut  in  the  "  Kedge  Anchor"),     ......      339 

MAP  OF  THE  MEDITERRANEAN  SEA,        .....     340 

WILLIAM  BAINBRIDGE.     (From  an  engraving  by  Edwin),  .     341 

STEPHEN  DECATUR.      (From  an  engraving  by  Osborn  of    the 

portrait  by  White),       ........     347 

BURNING    OF    THE    FRIGATE    PHILADELPHIA    BY    DECATUR. 

(From  an  old  wood-cut),      .......     352 

THE  BLOWING  UP  OF  THE    FRIGATE  PHILADELPHIA.      (From 

an  engraving  in  Waldo's  "  Decatur  "),          ....     355 

A  PIECE  OF  THE  PHILADELPHIA'S  STERN.     (From  the  original 

piece  at  the  Naval  Institute,  Annapolis),      ....     358 

EDWARD  PREBLE.     (From  an  engraving  by  Kelly  of  the  picture 

in  Faneuil  Hall,  Boston),    .......      360 

DECATUR  AVENGING  THE  MURDER  OF  HIS  BROTHER.     (From 

an  engraving  in  Waldo's  "  Decatur  "),          ....      363 

REUBEN  JAMES  SAVING  DECATUR'S  LIFE.     (From  an  engrav 
ing  of  the  picture  by  Chappel),    ......      365 

JOHN  TRIPPE.     (After  a  French  engraving),     ....     367 

THE  BATTLE  OF  TRIPOLI,  AUGUST  3,  1804.  (From  the 
painting  by  Corne,  1805,  at  the  Naval  Academy,  An 
napolis),  ..........  369 

MAP  OF  THE  HARBOR  OF  TRIPOLI, 372 

THE  EXPLOSION  OF  THE  INTREPID.     (From  an  old  engraving),     375 
PREBLE'S  MEDAL,     .........     379 

"  THE  PRESS-GANG  IMPRESSING  A  YOUNG  WATERMAN  ON  HIS 
MARRIAGE  DAY."  (From  an  English  engraving,  illustrat 
ing  an  old  song),  ........  386 


xxii  LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


ANOTHER  VIEW  OF  THE  "  YOUNG  WATERMAN"  AND  THE 

PRESS-GANG.  (From  an  English  engraving),  .  .  .  388 

A  FLOGGING  SCENE.  ("  The  Point  of  Honor."  A  sailor  about 
to  be  flogged  is  saved  by  a  comrade's  confession.)  (From  a 
drawing  by  George  Cruikshank),  .....  391 

THE  UNITED  STATES  FRIGATE  ESSEX.  (From  a  lithograph 

at  the  Naval  Academy,  Annapolis),  .....  393 

CAPT.   HENRY  WHITBY,  R.  N.    (From  an  engraving  by  Page),     405 

CAPT.  SALUSBURY  PRYCE  HUMPHREYS,  R.  N.  (From  an 

English  engraving),  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .411 

TAKING  DESERTERS  FROM  THE  CHESAPEAKE,          .         .        .     413 


An   Early   American   Floating   Battery. 

THE   HISTORY  OF  OUR   NAVY 

CHAPTER    I 

ORIGIN    OF    THK    AMERICAN      NAVY 

THE  CURIOUS  CHAIN  OF  KYKNTS  THAT  LED  TO  TIIF,  CREATION  OF  A 
NATIONAL  SEA  POWER— THE  GASPE  CAPTURED  BY  MEN  ARMED 
WITH  PAVING-STONES — TEA  DESTROYED  IN  BOSTON — THE  BATTLE 
OF  LEXINGTON  AND  THE  ATTACK  OF  THE  MACHIAS  HAYMAKERS 
ON  THE  MARGARKTTA — BRITISH  VENGEANCE  ON  DEFENCELESS 
PORTLAND  AND  ITS  EFFECT  ON  THE  CONTINENTAL  CONGRESS — 
THE  "  COLONIAL  NAVY  "  DISTINGUISHED  FROM  THE  TEMPORARY 

CRUISERS THE     FIRST    OFFICERS    AND    THE    FIRST    SHIPS    OF    THK 

AMERICAN  NAVY — JOHN  PAUL  JONES  AND  THE  FIRST  NAVAL 
ENSIGN — THE  SIGNIFICANT  "DON'T  TREAD  ON  ME" — PUTTING 
THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  NAVAL  SHIPS  IN  COMMISSION. 

OF  all  the  dates  in  American  history  not 
yet  so  commemorated,  there  is  none  so  well 
worthy  of  recognition  as  a  national  holiday  as 
the  22d  of  December;  for  it  was  on  December 
22,  1775,  that  the  American  navy  came  into 
existence.  And  there  is  no  part  of  the  story 
of  the  American  nation  of  more  thrilling  in 
terest  than  that  including  the  events  which 


2  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

compelled  the  establishment  of  this  branch  of 
the  public  service,  nor  is  there  any  part  of  the 
nation's  story  as  a  whole  that  so  stirs  the 
patriotic  pride  of  the  American  people  as  that 
which  tells  of  the  deeds  of  the  heroes  whose 
names  have  been  inscribed  upon  the  American 
naval  registers. 

It  is  a  grateful  task  to  recount  once  more 
how  it  was  that  an  American  navy  was  de 
manded  for  the  preservation  of  American 
liberties,  and  what  has  been  accomplished  by 
that  navy  since  the  day  when  Commodore 
Esek  Hopkins  received  his  commission,  and 
then  stood  by  on  the  deck  of  his  flagship 
while  John  Paul  Jones  flung  to  the  breeze  the 
broad  folds  of  the  flag  that  bore  as  a  symbol 
the  picture  of  a  rattlesnake  coiled  to  strike, 
with  the  significant  and  appropriate  motto, 

"  DON'T    TREAD    ON    ME." 

The  salt-water  Lexington,  that  is  to  say,  the 
first  fight  afloat  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  oc 
curred  on  the  night  of  June  17,  1772,  in  the 
waters  of  Rhode  Island,  and  the  fact  that  it 
was  in  Rhode  Island  will  be  recalled  later  on. 
The  war  of  Great  Britain  against  France  for 
dominion  in  America,  "  though  crowned  with 
success,  had  engendered  a  progeny  of  discon 
tents  in  her  colonies."  "  Her  policy  toward 
them  from  the  beginning  had  been  purely 


Commodore   Esek   Hopkins. 
From  a  French  engraving  of  the  portrait  by  Wilkinson. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


The   First  Naval   Flags. 


commercial."  And  that  is  to  say  that  the 
English,  even  in  their  dealings  with  their  own 
colonies,  were  animated  solely  by  greed.  The 

stamp  act  ;  the  levy 
ing  of  taxes  on  inter 
colonial  commerce  ; 
the  imposition  of 
duties  on  glass, 
pasteboard,  painters' 
colors,  and  tea,  "  to 
be  collected  on  the 
arrival  of  the  articles 
in  the  colonies"; 
worse  yet,  the  "  em 
powering  of  naval  officers  to  enforce  the  acts 
of  trade  and  navigation,"  grew  out  of  "  the 
spirit  of  trade  which  always  aims  to  get  the 
best  of  the  bargain,"  regardless  of  right. 

It  was  through  this  empowering  of  naval 
officers  to  enforce  the  acts  of  trade  and  navi 
gation  that  the  first  sea-fight  of  the  Revolu 
tion  occurred.  A  vessel  of  war — presumably 
a  ship — had  been  stationed  in  the  waters  of 
Rhode  Island,  with  a  schooner  of  102  tons  bur 
den,  called  the  Gaspe,  armed  with  six  three- 
pounders,  to  serve  as  a  tender.  The  Gaspe 
was  under  the  command  of  Lieut.  William 
Duddingstone.  Duddingstone  was  particu 
larly  offensive  in  his  treatment  of  the  coast 
ing  vessels,  every  one  of  which  was,  in  his 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  5 

view,  a  smuggler.  He  had  a  crew  of  twenty- 
seven  men. 

On  June  17,  1772,  a  Providence  packet, 
named  the  Hannah  and  commanded  by  Cap 
tain  Linzee,  came  in  sight  of  these  two  war- 
vessels  while  she  was  on  her  regular  passage 
from  New  York  to  Providence.  As  the  Han 
nah  ranged  up  near  the  war-vessels  she  was 
ordered  to  heave  to  in  order  that  her  papers 
might  be  examined,  but  Captain  Linzee  being 
favored  by  a  smart  southerly  wind  that  was 
rapidly  carrying  him  out  of  range  of  the  man- 
of-war  guns,  held  fast  on  his  course. 

At  this  the  schooner  Gaspe  was  ordered  to 
follow  and  bring  back  the  offending  sloop, 
and  with  all  sail  drawing,  she  obeyed  the  or 
der.  For  a  matter  of  twenty-five  miles  that 
was  as  eager  and  as  even  a  race  as  any  sailor- 
man  would  care  to  see,  but  when  that  length 
of  course  had  been  sailed  over,  the  racers 
found  themselves  close  up  at  the  Providence 
bar.  The  Yankee  knew  his  ground  as  well  as 

o 

he  knew  the  deck  of  his  sloop,  but  the  captain 
of  the  Gaspe  was  unfamiliar  with  it.  A  few 
minutes  later  the  shoal-clraft  Hannah  was 
crossing  the  bar  at  a  point  where  she  could 
barely  scrape  over,  and  the  deeper-draft  Gaspe, 
in  trying  to  follow  at  full  speed,  was  grounded 
hard  and  fast. 

To  make  matters  still  worse  for  the  Gaspe, 


6  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

the  tide  had  just  begun  to  run  ebb  ;  not  for 
many  hours  could  her  crew  hope  to  float 
her. 

Leaving  the  stranded  schooner  to  heel  with 
the  falling  tide,  Captain  Linzee  drove  on  with 
the  wind  to  Providence,  where  he  landed  at  the 
wharf  and  spread  the  story  of  his  trouble  with 
the  coast  guard.  Had  it  happened  in  the  days 
before  the  French  war,  or  before  the  persis 
tent  efforts  of  the  British  ministry  to  levy  un 
just  taxes  on  the  colonies  had  roused  such 
intense  opposition  in  New  England,  this  affair 
would  have  been  considered  as  a  good  joke 
on  a  revenue  cutter,  and  that  would  have  been 
the  end  of  it  so  far  as  the  people  of  Provi 
dence  were  concerned. 

Now,  however,  the  matter  was  taken  in  a 
most  serious  light.  As  the  sun  went  down, 
the  town  drummer  appeared  on  the  streets, 
and  with  the  long  roll  and  tattoo  by  which 
public  meetings  were  called  he  gathered  the 
men  of  the  town  under  a  horse-shed  that  stood, 
near  one  of  the  larger  stores  overlooking  the 
water.  While  yet  the  people  were  com 
ing  to  the  rendezvous,  a  man  disguised  as  an 
Indian  appeared  on  the  roof  and  invited  all 
"stout  hearts"  to  meet  him  on  the  wharf  at 
nine  o'clock,  disguised  as  he  was. 

o 

As  one  may  readily  believe,  nearly  every 
man  of  Providence  came  to  the  pier  at  the 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  9 

appointed  hour.  From  this  crowd  sixty-four 
men  were  selected.  They  chose  as  their  com 
mander,  so  tradition  asserts,  Abraham  Whip- 
pie,  who,  later  on,  became  one  of  the  first-made 
captains  of  the  American  navy,  and  then  all 
embarked  in  eight  long-boats  gathered  from 
the  different  vessels  lying  at  the  wharves,  and 
pulled  away  for  the  Gaspc. 

That  was  a  most  remarkable  expedition  in 
the  matter  of  armament,  for,  although  there 
were  a  few  firearms  in  the  boats,  the  crews 
depended  for  the  most  part  on  a  liberal  supply 
of  round  paving-stones  that  they  carried  for 
weapons  of  offense. 

It  was  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  when 
this  galley-fleet  arrived  in  sight  of  the  stranded 
Gaspc.  The  tide  had  turned  by  this  time,  and 
the  schooner  had  begun  to  right  herself  some 
what.  A  sentinel,  pacing  to  and  fro  with  some 
difficulty,  sa\v  the  approaching  boats  and  hailed 
them.  A  shower  of  paving-stones  was  the 
most  effective  if  not  the  only  reply  he  re 
ceived,  and  he  tumbled  down  below  precipi 
tately.  The  rattle  and  crash  of  the  paving- 
stones  on  the  deck  routed  the  crew  from  their 
berths,  and,  running  hastily  on  deck,  the  cap 
tain  of  the  Gaspe  fired  a  pistol  point-blank  at 
his  assailants. 

At  that  a  single  musket  was  fired  from  the 
boats,  by  whom  will  never  be  told,  and  the 


10 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


captain  dropped  with  a  bullet  in  his  thigh. 
Then  the  boats  closed  about  the  stranded  ves 
sel  and  their  crews  swarmed  over  the  rails. 
The  sailors  of  the  Gaspe  strove  to  resist  the 
onslaught,  but  they  were  quickly  knocked 
clown  and  secured. 

As  soon  as  this  was  done  the  schooner  was 
effectually  fired,  and  her  captors,  with  their  pris 
oners,  pulled  away  ;  but  they  remained  within 
sight  until  the  early  dawn  appeared,  when  the 
schooner  blew  up,  and  the  boats  were  rowed 
hastily  home  with  the  tide. 


The   State  House  at  Newport,    Showing  the   Gaspd  Affair. 
From  an  engraving  in  Hintons  History  of  the  United  States. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  u 

The  indignation  of  the  British  officials  over 
this  assault  on  a  naval  vessel  was  so  great  that 
a  reward  of  ,£1,000  was  offered  for  the  leader 
of  the  expedition,  with  ,£500  more  and  a  free 
pardon  to  any  one  of  the  offenders  who  would 
turn  informer.  But,  "  notwithstanding  a  Com 
mission  of  Inquiry,  under  the  great  seal  of 
England,  sat  with  that  object,  from  January 
to  June,  during  the  year  1773,"  not  enough 
evidence  was  obtained  to  warrant  the  arrest  of 
a  single  man. 

Although  it  was  not  an  affair  of  the  sea, 
strictly  speaking,  it  is  worth  recalling  here 
that  within  six  months  after  this  Commission 
of  Inquiry  had  failed  to  learn  the  names  of 
the  men,  disguised  as  Indians,  who  had  burned 
the  Gaspe,  another  party  of  men  in  another 
colony  disguised  themselves  as  Indians,  and 
helped  amazingly  in  making  the  history  of  the 
times.  It  was  on  the  night  of  Friday,  the 
i  7th  of  December,  1773,  as  the  reader  will  re 
member.  The  ship  Dartmouth,  laden  with 
tea,  was  lyino-  at  her  wharf  in  Boston.  She 

J         o  •» 

had  been  lying  there  since  the  28th  of  the  pre 
ceding  month,  and  during  all  those  clays  the 
people  of  Boston  had  labored  unceasingly  to 
get  her  away  to  sea  without  discharging  her 
cargo.  It  is  even  recorded  that  "the  urgency 
of  the  business  in  hand  overcame  the  Sabbata 
rian  scruples  of  the  people,"  and  that  in  Bos- 


12  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

ton  !  Meetings  too  great  for  "  the  Cradle  of 
Liberty"  (Faneuil  Hall)  were  adjourned  to 
the  Old  South  Meeting-House.  The  people 
were  "  determined  not  to  act  (in  offense)  until 
the  last  legal  method  of  relief  should  have 
been  tried  and  found  wanting."  But  at  last, 
on  the  night  of  this  i  7th  day  of  December,  as 
the  great  throng  of  more  than  seven  thousand 
people  waited  in  and  about  "  the  church  that 
was  dimly  lighted  with  candles,"  a  messenger 
arrived  from  the  British  Governor  to  say  that 
the  last  lep^al  resource  had  failed.  The  Gov- 

o 

ernor  had  refused  to  allow  the  ship  to  go. 
And  "  then,  amid  profound  stillness,  Samuel 
Adams  arose  and  said,  quietly  but  distinctly, 
*  this  meeting  can  do  nothing  more  to  save 
the  country.' ' 

A  war-whoop  was  heard  a  moment  later 
without  the  church,  and  fifty  men,  disguised 
as  Indians,  just  as  Captain  Whipple's  men 
were  when  they  fired  the  Gaspe — disguised  as 
Indians  because  Captain  Whipple's  men  had 
successfully  eluded  the  British  detectives— 
these  fifty  citizens  of  Boston  ran  away  to  the 
wharf  where  the  DartmoutJi  lay. 

One  John  Rowe  had  asked  during  the  meet 
ing  earlier  in  the  evening,  "  Who  knows  how 
tea  will  mingle  with  salt  water?"  He  had 
now  his  opportunity  to  learn,  for  when  the 
Indians  reached  the  ship  they  quickly  brought 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  13 

her  cargo  on  deck,  and  smashing  open  the 
chests  with  hatchets,  tumbled  the  tea  over  the 
rail,  while  a  vast  host  stood  by  in  the  moon 
light  and  silently  watched  the  work. 

There  was  a  significance  in    the   silence   of 
the  work  that  miodit  have  been,  but  was   not, 


The   "  Boston  Tea-Party." 
From  an  old  engraving. 


heeded  by  those  in  authority,  for  it  portrayed 
the  feelings  and  the  character  of  the  men  en 
gaged  in  it,  and  foreshadowed  the  grim  deter 
mination  of  the  people  during  the  conflict  that 
was  fast  comincr  on. 

o 

Then  followed,  as  the  reader  will  remember 
very  well,  the  Boston  Port  Bill  closing  that 
port.  Then  followed  the  bill  by  which  any 


H  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

magistrate,  soldier,  or  revenue  officer,  accused 
of  murder  in  Massachusetts,  was  to  be  taken 
to  England  for  trial — a  bill  justly  stigmatized 
as  an  act  to  encourage  the  soldiery  in  shooting 
down  peaceful  citizens.  Then  followed  other 
acts  equally  or  still  more  unjust  and  tyrannous 
that  need  not  be  mentioned  here,  the  indigna 
tion  of  the  colonists  growing  deeper  as  their 
distress  under  the  oppression  increased,  until 
war  was  inevitable.  And  on  the  igth  of 
April,  1775,  when  the  profane  Pitcairn  dis 
charged  his  "  elegant  pistol  "  at  the  minute-men 
of  the  veteran  Capt.  John  Parker  on  the  village 
green  in  Lexington,  war  came. 

Now,  it  was  because  of  the  stir  caused  by 
the  story  of  this  battle  at  Lexington  that  the 
second  sea-fight  of  the  Revolution  occurred. 

The  reader  must  keep  steadily  in  mind  that 
not  only  were  churches  lighted  by  candles 
in  those  days,  but  mails  were  carried  up  and 
down  the  country  by  stage  coaches  and  on 
horseback  and  by  the  oft-times  slower  water 
route — in  sloops  and  schooners.  The  fight  at 
Lexington  occurred  on  April  iQth,  but  the 
news  of  it  did  not  reach  Machias,  Maine,  until 
Saturday,  the  gth  of  the  following  month.  On 
that  day  word  was  brought  by  sea  to  Machias, 
telling  how  the  British  troops  had  fired  on  the 
minute-men,  whose  present  offense  was  that 
they  had  refused  to  obey  when  Pitcairn  had 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  15 

shouted,  "  Disperse,  ye  villains  !  Damn  you, 
why  don't  you  disperse?"  How  some  had 
been  killed  and  others  wounded  by  this  first 
onslaught ;  how  the  minute-men  had  at  first 
retreated  and  then  gathered  anew  for  the 
attack  ;  how  the  British  were  first  brought  to 
a  stand  and  then  started  in  a  retreat  so  swift 
that  when  at  last  they  were  rescued  by  fresh 
troops  from  Boston  they  fell  to  the  ground 
with  "  their  tongues  hanging-  out  of  their 

o  o        o 

mouths  like   those   of   dogs  after  a  chase  " 
when  all  this  was   related   in   Machias,    Maine, 
it  stirred  the  men   of  the  town  to  do  a  stroke 
against  the  oppressive  ministry  on  their  own 
account. 

There  was  at  this  time  in  the  port  of  Machias 
an  armed  schooner  called  the  Margaretta, 
Captain  Moore,  in  the  service  of  the  crown, 
with  two  unarmed  sloops  in  convoy  which 
were  loading  with  lumber,  according  to  the 
American  account,  for  the  British  in  Boston, 
but  an  English  account  speaks  of  the  schooner 
as  "  a  mast  ship,"  i.e.,  a  vessel  loading  with 
logs  suitable  for  the  masts  of  a  warship.  As 
the  reader  will  remember,  the  grants  of  land 
from  the  crown  in  those  days  always  retained 
for  the  use  of  the  crown  all  trees  suitable  for 
masts  of  ships  that  might  be  found  on  the 
land. 

On  hearing  of  the  fight  at   Lexington  the 


16  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

bolder  spirits  of  the  town,  considering  that 
affair  as  the  beginning  of  war,  determined 
to  capture  the  king's  schooner  Margaretta. 
Their  first  plan  turned  on  the  fact  that  the 
day  after  the  news  arrived  was  Sunday.  The 
news  was  kept  secret  among  those  who  laid 
the  plan,  and  Captain  Moore  came  ashore  to 
attend  church  on  Sundays  as  usual.  Then 
these  men  started  to  capture  him  at  the  church, 
but  their  haste  and  excitement  alarmed  Cap 
tain  Moore,  and  he  jumped  through  the  church 
window  and  fled  to  the  beach,  where  he  was 
protected  by  his  schooner's  guns. 

On  reaching  his  schooner,  Captain  Moore 
fired  several  shots  over  the  town  to  intimi 
date  the  people  ;  but  not  liking  the  looks  of 
things  on  shore  after  the  firing,  he  got  up  his 
anchor  and  dropped  down-stream  for  a  league, 
where  he  came  to  anchor  foolishly  under  a 
high  bank.  The  townspeople  who  had  fol 
lowed  him,  quickly  took  places  on  this  bank, 
and  a  man  named  Foster  called  on  him  to 
surrender,  but  Captain  Moore  got  his  anchor 
again  and  ran  out  into  the  bay,  apparently 
unmolested  by  those  who  had  summoned  him 
to  surrender. 

It  looked  as  if  the  proposed  capture  would 
not  be  made.  But  on  Monday  morning  (May 
ii,  1775)  two  of  the  young  men  of  the  town, 
Joseph  Wheaton  and  Dennis  O'Brien,  met  on 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  17 

the  wharf,  when  Wheaton  proposed  taking  pos 
session  of  one  of  the  lumber  sloops,  raising  a 
crew  of  volunteers  and  going  after  the  Mar- 
gar  etta.  Peter  Calbreth  and  a  man  named 
Kraft  happened  along  and  agreed  to  join  in, 
and  the  four  went  on  board  the  sloop  and 
took  possession. 

Three  rousing  cheers  were  given  over  the 
success  of  their  effort,  and  that  brought  a 
crowd  to  the  wharf — among  the  rest,  Jeremiah 
O'Brien,  "an  athletic  gallant  man,"  to  whom, 
as  to  a  village  leader,  Wheaton  explained  the 
project. 

"  My  boys,  we  can  do  it,"  said  Jeremiah 
with  enthusiasm,  and  at  that  every  one  in  the 
throng  skurried  off  for  arms. 

The  equipment  which  they  brought  together 
for  that  cruise  is  worth  describing  in  detail. 
They  had  twenty  guns,  of  which  one  is  de 
scribed  as  a  "wall-piece."  It  was  a  musket  too 
heavy  to  hold  offhand  when  fired  ;  it  needed 
a  wall,  so  to  speak,  to  support  its  weight  when 
it  was  aimed.  For  all  these  guns  they  had 
but  sixty  bullets  and  sixty  charges  of  powder 
—three  loads  for  each  weapon.  In  addition 
they  carried  thirteen  pitchforks  and  twelve  axes 
(a  formidable  weapon  in  the  hands  of  a  Maine 
man).  For  food  they  carried  a  few  piece s  of 
pork,  a  part  of  a  bag  of  bread,  and  a  barrel 
of  water. 


i8  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

Out  of  a  throng  of  volunteers  thirty-five  of 
the  most  athletic  were  selected  to  go,  and,  this 
done,  they  hoisted  sail  and  boldly  headed  away 
before  a  northwest  breeze  to  capture  the  Mar- 
gar  etta. 

It  should  be  noted  here  that  these  sloops 
were  single-masted  vessels,  as  was  the  one  in 
the  Providence  affair.  They  were  in  form 
and  rig  very  much  like  the  one-masted  ves 
sels  employed  at  the  time  of  this  writing 
(1897)  in  carrying  brick  from  the  yards  on  the 
Hudson  River  to  New  York  City,  but  they 
were  not  nearly  as  large  as  the  brick-carriers, 
though  they  probably  stood  as  high  out  of 
water,  if  not  higher.  A  "  sloop  of  war"  was 
a  very  different  vessel,  as  will  appear  further 
on. 

Captain  Moore  saw  the  sloop  coming  from 
afar,  and  realized  that  the  crowd  upon  her 
deck  meant  trouble  for  him.  So,  being  still 
anxious  to  avoid  a  conflict  (just  why  he  was 
anxious  does  not  appear),  he  up  anchor  and 
once  more  ran  away.  But  luck  was  against 
him — perhaps  his  flust rated  state  of  mind 
brought  him  ill-luck.  At  any  rate,  although 
the  wind  was  in  the  northwest  and  he  was 
bound  south,  he  got  up  his  mainsail  with  the 
boom  to  starboard,  and  soon  found  himself 
obliged  to  jibe  it  over  to  port.  With  a  fresh 
breeze  that  was  a  task  needing  care,  and  yet, 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  21 

when  he  came  to  swing  the  boom  across,  he 
let  it  go  on  the  run,  and  it  brought  up  against 
the  backstays  with  such  a  shock  that  it  was 
broken  short  off  in  the  wake  of  the  rigging. 

Rendered  desperate  by  this  accident,  Cap 
tain  Moore  now  turned  to  a  merchant 
schooner  that  he  saw  at  anchor  not  far 
away,  and  bringing  to  alongside  of  her,  he 
robbed  her  of  her  boom  to  replace  his  own 
and  again  headed  for  the  open  sea,  and  then, 
to  still  further  aid  his  flight,  cut  adrift  every 
one  of  his  boats. 

But  it  was  all  in  vain,  for  the  sloop  was 
much  the  swifter  vessel,  and  Captain  Moore 
was  at  last  compelled  to  fight. 

The  Margaretta  was  armed  with  four  six- 
pounders  and  twenty  swivels — short  and  thick 
guns  firing  a  one-pound  ball,  and  mounted  on 
swivels  placed  on  the  vessel's  rail.  It  was  an 
armament  that  should  have  been  more  than 
sufficient  to  repel  the  Machias  men  armed 
with  pitchforks  and  axes.  Moreover,  the  crew 
of  the  Margaretta  outnumbered  that  of  the 
sloop.  But  there  was  a  difference  in  the  char 
acter  of  the  two  crews — a  difference  for  which 
abundant  cause  will  be  shown  further  on— 
and  the  issue  of  the  contest  was  never  for  a 
moment  in  doubt  after  the  haymakers  had 
gone  afloat. 

The  first  discharge  of  guns  on  the  schooner 


22  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

killed  one  man  on  the  sloop.  A  man  of  the 
name  of  Knight  on  the  sloop  returned  the 
fire,  using  the  wall-piece.  He  was  probably 
from  the  backwoods  and  a  moose  hunter,  for 
he  was  bright  enough  and  skilful  enough  to 

o  o  o 

pick  off  the  man  at  the  schooner's  helm.  And 
that  shot  drove  everybody  off  the  schooner's 
quarter-deck,  so  she  was  left,  as  a  sailor  might 
say,  to  take  charge  of  herself. 

Then  the  schooner  broached  to,  the  sloop 
crashed  into  her,  and  the  men  from  Machias, 
with  swinging  axes  and  poised  pitchforks, 
climbed  over  her  rail. 

It  is  said  for  Captain  Moore  that  at  this 
point  he  fought  gallantly,  throwing  hand- 
grenades  "with  considerable  effect,"  but  he 
was  quickly  shot  to  death,  and  then  his  crew 
surrendered. 

In  all,  twenty  men  were  killed  and  wounded 
in  this  fight,  showing  that  it  was  a  desperate 
conflict  when  once  the  two  crews  Q-ot  within 

o 

range  of  each  other,  man  to  man,  for  twenty 
was  more  than  one-fourth  of  all  engaged  in  it. 
The  crew  of  the  Margaretta  numbered  forty, 
all  told. 

On  the  Margaretta  the  captors  found  two 
wall-pieces,  forty  cutlasses,  forty  boarding 
axes,  two  boxes  of  hand-grenades,  forty  mus 
kets,  and  twenty  pistols,  with  an  ample  supply 
of  powder  and  shot. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  23 

When  one  with  a  full  knowledge  of  the  naval 
tar's  contempt  for  "a  haymaker's  mate"  re 
calls  the  story  of  this  Machias  fight,  he  cannot 
help  thinking  that  some  of  the  crew  of  the 
Margaretta  must  have  suffered  as  much  in 
mind  as  they  did  from  their  wounds  after  be 
ing  impaled  on  the  two-pronged  pikes — the 
pitchforks  of  these  Yankee  haymakers. 

Not  only  was  the  fight  between  the  Mar- 
garettas  crew  and  the  haymakers  interesting 
in  itself  ;  it  was  followed  by  consequences  ol 
the  most  important  nature  in  connection  with 
the  establishment  of  the  American  navy. 

The  commander  of  the  haymakers,  elected 
in  good  American  fashion  after  they  were 
afloat,  was  Jeremiah  O'Brien.  Having  se 
cured  the  Margaretta  and  his  prisoners,  Cap 
tain  O'Brien  shifted  the  cannon  and  swivels, 
with  the  ammunition  and  small  arms,  from  the 
captured  schooner  over  to  his  fleeter  sloop, 
and  set  forth  in  search  of  more  prizes  and 
glory.  Straightway  the  efforts  of  the  British 
naval  authorities  to  punish  him  for  his  assault 
on  the  Margaretta  gave  him  the  opportunity 
to  acquire  both.  Two  schooners,  the  Dili 
gence  and  the  Tapanagouche,  were  sent  from 
Halifax  to  bring  the  obstreperous  Irish-Yan 
kee  in  for  trial.  But  Captain  O'Brien  was  a 
sailorman  as  well  as  a  haymaker.  By  skilfully 
handling  his  sloop  he  separated  the  cruisers, 


24  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

and  then  captured  them  one  at  a  time  by 
the  bold  dash  that  had  succeeded  in  the  as 
sault  on  the  Margaretta.  This  done,  Captain 
O'Brien,  with  his  prizes,  sailed  into  Water- 
town,  Massachusetts,  where  the  provincial 
legislature  was  sitting,  and  delivered  up 
everything  to  the  colonial  authorities. 

Such  brave  deeds  as  these  did  not  go  un 
rewarded  in  those  days.  Captain  O'Brien  re 
ceived  a  commission  from  the  colony,  and, 
with  the  three  vessels  well  refitted,  he  was 
sent  once  more  to  sea  to  cruise  for  vessels 
bringing  supplies  to  the  British  troops. 

As  said,  not  only  was  this  an  interesting 
fight,  but  it  was  one  with  far-reaching  conse 
quences.  The  deeds  of  Captain  O'Brien,  fol 
lowed  by  others  of  a  like  nature  performed 
by  men  who  were  stirred  by  his  example,  so 
exasperated  Admiral  Graves,  the  British  com- 
mander-in-chief  on  the  coast,  that  he  sent 
a  squadron  of  four  vessels  under  Captain 
Mowat  to  take  revenge  in  such  a  manner  as 
would  fill,  as  he  supposed,  the  hearts  of  the 
people  of  the  whole  coast  with  terror.  Port 
land  (then  called  Falmouth),  Maine,  was  the 
port  selected  for  destruction. 

The  British  account  of  what  was  done  after 
Captain  Mowat's  fleet  arrived  before  the  town, 
shall  be  given  for  a  reason  that  will  appear 
further  on  in  this  history.  The  "Annual  Regis- 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  25 

ter"  for  1776  (Dodsley's,  London),  in  its  "  Re 
trospective  view  of  American  affairs  in  the 
year  1775,"  says  (page  34)  : 

"  About  9  o'clock  in  the  morning,  a  canon- 
ade  was  begun,  and  continued  with  little  inter 
mission  through  the  day.  About  3,000  shots 
besides  bombs  and  carcases,  were  thrown  into 
the  town,  and  the  sailors  landed  to  compleat 
the  destruction,  but  were  repulsed  with  the 
loss  of  a  few  men.  The  principal  part  of  the 
town,  (which  lay  next  the  water)  consisting  of 
about  130  dwelling  houses,  278  stores  and 
warehouses,  with  a  large  new  church,  a  new 
handsome  court  house,  with  the  public  library, 
were  reduced  to  ashes  ;  about  100  of  the  worst 
houses  being  favored  by  the  situation  and  dis 
tance,  escaped  destruction,  though  not  without 
damage." 

In  Allen's  "  Battles  of  the  British  Navy,"  the 
"  new  edition  revised  and  enlarged  "  and  pub 
lished  by  George  Bell  &  Sons,  London,  in  1893 
(note  that  it  was  published  in  1893),  we  get  a 
modern  British  view  of  this  important  assault. 
On  page  227  it  says  : 

"  Lieutenant  Mowat's  instructions  were 
tempered  with  moderation.  He  was  directed 
to  confine  his  operations  to  certain  enumer 
ated  towns  which  had  rendered  themselves 
conspicuous  by  open  acts  of  hostility." 

The  town  was  destroyed  on  the  i6th  day  of 


26  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

October,  and  in  Maine.  Under  instructions 
that,  to  an  Englishman's  mind,  tempered  with 
moderation,  "  a  thousand  unoffending,  men 
women  and  children  were  thus  turned  out  of 
doors"  just  as  the  fierce  Maine  winter  was 
coming  down  upon  them. 

It  should  be  told  here  that  among  the 
children  who  were  thus  obliged  to  seek  shel 
ter  in  brush  and  bark  huts  was  a  lad  of  four 
teen  years,  named  Edward  Preble,  of  whom 
something  will  be  told  further  on. 

Meantime  the  Congress  of  the  thirteen 
United  Colonies  had  been  in  session  at  Phila 
delphia,  resolving  itself  into  a  committee  of 
the  whole,  from  day  to  day,  to  consider  "the 
state  of  trade  in  the  colonies."  Patriots  by  the 
thousand  had  answered  the  cries  of  distress 
at  Lexington  by  gathering  with  their  muskets 
about  Boston.  The  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  the 
most  glorious  defeat  recorded  in  the  annals  of 
American  warfare,  had  been  fought  and  lost, 
because  the  supplies  of  gunpowder,  brought 
by  the  colonists  in  the  old-fashioned  cowhorns, 
had  failed  them.  Of  missiles  there  was  appar 
ently  no  lack — -they  would  have  used  pebbles 
from  the  beach  had  no  others  been  available  and 
powder  abundant.  But  the  want  of  gunpowder 
became  chronic,  and  in  considering  the  state  of 
trade  in  the  colonies  the  Congress  found  that 
of  all  branches  of  that  trade  the  one  needing 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  27 

their  most  careful  attention  was  the  trade  in 
gunpowder.  It  was  a  trade  that  did  not  thrive 
under  the  circumstances  ;  but  there  was  one 
source  of  supply  that  did  not  escape  the  atten 
tion  of  such  able-minded  as  well  as  able-bodied 
citizens  as  Capt.  Jeremiah  O'Brien  and  his 
ilk  afloat.  That  source  was  in  the  supply 
ships  that  provided  for  the  British  forces,  and 
in  the  smaller  cruisers  that  waited  on  the  great 
ships  of  the  British  fleet.  The  sailormen  of 
the  coast  pointed  to  the  supplies  afloat,  and 
the  legislators  adopted  the  views  of  the  sailor- 
men.  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  and  Con 
necticut  provided  small  cruisers  on  their  own 
account  and  sent  them  out  seeking  the  enemy's 
supply  ships,  which,  because  the  rebellious 
colonies  had  theretofore  no  sort  of  a  navy, 
came  to  Boston  and  other  ports  in  the  king's 
possession,  unarmed  and  without  convoy.  The 
far-sighted  Washington,  who  had  been  placed 
in  command  of  the  heterogeneous  forces  about 
Boston,  took  hold  of  this  matter  and  brought 
it  to  the  attention  of  the  Congress.  In  the 
mind  of  Washington  it  was  an  expedient  well 
worth  trying,  but  apparently  he  regarded  it 
only  as  a  temporary  expedient.  For  during 
the  summer  and  early  fall  of  1775,  when  the 
need  of  gunpowder  became  and  remained  most 
uro-ent,  the  colonies  were  fi^htino"  only  for  their 

c!>  ^  *— *  * 

rights   as    British    subjects,   as   the   reader    re- 


28  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

members,  and  not  for  national  independence. 
A  few  long-headed  leaders  undoubtedly  saw 
the  drift  of  current  events,  but  with  every 
address  to  the  throne  there  was  sent  a  protes 
tation  of  loyalty. 

The  earliest  reference  to  this  temporary 
expedient  for  getting  gunpowder  which  is 
found  in  the  printed  reports  of  the  doings  of 
the  Congress  is  in  the  minutes  for  Thursday, 
October  5,  1775.  It  was  then  resolved  to  in 
form  General  Washington  that  the  Congress 
had  "  received  certain  intelligence  of  the  sail 
ing  of  two  north  country  built  brigs,  of  no 
force,  from  England  on  the  iith  of  August 
last,  loaded  with  arms,  powder  and  other  stores 
for  Quebec  without  convoy,  which  it  being  of 
importance  to  intercept,"  Washington  was 
requested  to  "apply  to  the  Council  of  Massa 
chusetts-Bay  for  the  two  armed  vessels  in  their 
service,"  and  send  them  "  at  the  expense  of 
the  continent  "  after  the  brigs.  Moreover,  he 
was  informed  that  "  the  Rhode  Island  and 
Connecticut  vessels  of  force  will  be  sent  di 
rectly  to  their  assistance."  Further  still,  it 
was  resolved  that  "  the  general  be  directed  to 

o 

employ  the  said  vessels  and  others,  if  he  judge 
necessary."  That  was  a  very  important  set  of 
resolutions  in  connection  with  the  history  of 
the  navy.  And  the  same  may  be  said  of  the 
resolutions  of  Friday,  October  i3th,  when  it 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  29 

was  provided  that  "  a  swift  vessel  to  carry  ten 
carriage  guns  and  a  proportionable  number  of 
swivels,  with  eighty  men,  be  fitted  out  with  all 
possible  despatch  for  a  cruise  of  three  months," 
and,  further,  "that  another  vessel  be  fitted  out 
for  the  same  purposes."  Deane,  Langdon, 


A  Brig  of  War  Lowering  a  Boat. 
From  a  picture  drawn  and  engraved  by  Baugean. 

and  Gadsden  were  chosen  as  a  committee  of 
the  Congress  to  look  after  the  fitting  out  of 
the  vessels.  Further  than  that,  on  Monday, 
October  30,  1775,  it  was  resolved  that  the 
second  vessel  previously  ordered  should  "  carry 
fourteen  guns  and  a  proportionate  number  of 
swivels  and  men,"  while  two  other  ships,  "  one 
to  carry  not  exceeding  twenty  guns  and  the 
other  not  exceeding  thirty-six  guns,"  were  to 


30      .  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

be  chartered  for  the  same  purpose — to  cruise 
"  eastward "  to  intercept  the  British  store- 
ships. 

How  under  the  resolutions  of  October  5th 
Captain  Manly  of  the  schooner  Lee  was  sent 
"eastward"  ;  how  he  captured  a  large  brigan- 
tine  loaded  with  munitions  of  war  ;  how,  in 
consequence  of  this  capture,  "  a  long,  lumber 
ing  train  of  wagons,  laden  with  ordnance  and 
military  stores,  and  decorated  with  flags,  came 
wheeling  into  camp  "  —Washington's  camp— 
the  next  day  after  a  host  of  Connecticut  troops 
had  deserted  the  cause,  and  "  it  was  feared 
their  example  would  be  contagious";  how 
"  such  universal  joy  ran  through  the  whole 
camp  as  if  each  one  grasped  victory  in  his  own 
hands," — all  are  parts  of  a  story  that  may  not 
be  wholly  omitted  here  ;  but  the  resolutions  of 
the  Congress  did  not  provide,  properly  speak 
ing,  for  an  American  navy.  They  only  pro 
vided  temporary  means  for  obtaining  supplies. 
The  Congress  was  not  yet  ready  to  take  the 
important  step  of  establishing  a  navy  as  a 
branch  of  the  public  service. 

But    the    thought   of    a    colonial    navy  was 

O  J 

abroad — it  was  even  then  officially  before  the 
Congress,  although  it  had  not  been  acted 
upon.  Officially,  the  subject  of  establishing  a 
colonial  navy  came  from  Rhode  Island,  where 
Capt.  Abraham  Whipple  and  his  paving. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  31 

stones  had  conquered  the  schooner  Gaspe. 
On  August  26,  1775,  the  two  houses  of  the 
Rhode  Island  legislature  concurred  in  order 
ing  their  representatives  in  the  Congress  to 
propose  the  establishment  of  a  navy  "  at  the 
expense  of  the  continent."  So  cautious  were 
the  members  of  the  Congress  in  handling  the 
matter  that,  when,  on  October  3d,  one  of  the 
Rhode  Island  delegates — presumably  Samuel 
Ward,  who  was  their  leader — -called  the  atten 
tion  of  the  Congress  to  the  proposal  of  his 
legislature,  they  did  not  even  mention  the 
matter  definitely  in  the  minutes  of  the  day. 
The  minutes  read  :  "  One  of  the  delegates 
for  Rhode  Island  laid  before  the  Congress 
a  part  of  the  instructions  given  them,"  etc. 
"  The  proposal  met  great  opposition,"  and 
even  the  briefest  consideration  of  the  matter 
had  to  go  over  to  a  later  day.  "In  the  Con 
gress  at  Philadelphia,  so  long  as  there  re 
mained  the  dimmest  hope,  of  favor  to  its 
petition,  the  lukewarm  patriots  had  the 
advantage." 

But  a  time  was  coming  when  they  were  to 
change  their  feelings  in  this  matter  radically 
and  in  a  day.  They  had  ordered  the  forces 
afloat  and  ashore  "  carefully  to  refrain  from 
acts  of  violence  which  could  be  construed  as 
open  rebellion,"  but  before  the  end  of  the  year 
they  had  taken  such  a  long  step  toward  the 


32  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

Declaration  of  Independence  that  to  turn  back 
was  impossible. 

It  was  on  October  3ist  that  the  change 
of  sentiment  was  wrought.  One  cannot  help 
wishing  that  what  a  newspaper  man  in  these 
days  would  call  "a  crackerjack  reporter" 
might  have  been  present  to  describe  the  stir 
in  the  Congress  when,  on  that  day,  one  mes 
senger  arrived  to  announce  that  the  British 
king  had  succeeded  in  hiring  20,000  of  "  the 
finest  troops  in  Europe  "  —Germans — to  fight 
against  the  colonists,  while  a  second  messen 
ger  followed  with  the  story  of  the  desperate 
plight  of  the  people  of  Falmouth,  who  had 
been  driven  from  their  homes  to  face  a 
Maine  winter  by  the  assault  of  the  infamous 
Mowat.  But  if  we  lack  the  picture  we  have 
the  record  of  what  was  done  in  consequence 
of  the  news  then  received. 

Though  stirred  as  never  before  since  they 
had  come  together,  the  members  of  the  Con 
gress  moved  with  judicial  moderation,  and  it 
was  not  until  Saturday,  November  25th,  that 
they  resolved  to  make  an  aggressive  fight  at 
sea.  On  this  day  they  adopted  a  preamble 
that  eloquently  told  how  "  orders  have  been 
issued  .  .  .  under  colour  of  which  said 
orders  the  commanders  of  his  majesty's  said 
ships  have  already  burned  and  destroyed  the 
flourishing  and  populous  town  of  Falmouth, 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  33 

and  have  fired  upon  and  much  injured  several 
other  towns  within  the  United  Colonies,  and 
dispersed  at  a  late  season  of  the  year,  hun 
dreds  of  women  and  children,  with  a  savage 
hope  that  those  may  perish  under  the  approach 
ing  rigours  of  the  season  who  may  chance  to 
escape  destruction  from  fire  and  sword."  And 
then  they  resolved  that  all  armed  British  ves 
sels,  and  all  "  transport  vessels  in  the  same 
service,"  "  to  whomsoever  belonging,"  with 
their  cargoes,  that  might  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  colonists,  "shall  be  confiscated."  Fur 
ther  than  that,  commissions  not  only  for  the 
captains  of  the  colonial  cruisers,  but  for  the 
commanders  of  privateers  as  well,  were  or 
dered  to  be  issued  under  proper  regulations. 
The  colonies  were  rec 
ommended  to  "  erect 
courts  of  justice "  to 
dispose  of  the  prizes 
to  be  so  captured,  and 
a  scheme  for  distrib 
uting  prize  money  to 
the  crews  of  both 
cruisers  and  privateers 

WaS    approved.  The  Admiralty  Seal. 

Three   days  later— 

on  November  28,  1775 — the  minutes  contain 
the  first  adopted  "  Rules  for  the  Regulation 
of  the  Navy  of  the  United  Colonies,"  and  that 

3 


34  THE    HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 

was  the  first  occasion  on  which  the  term  navy 
of  the  United  Colonies  appears  in  the  minutes 
of  the  proceedings. 

Very  curious  and  well  worth  the  study  of 
any  one  interested  in  history  are  those  first 
rules  adopted  for  the  American  navy — a  navy 
not  yet  actually  in-  existence.  But  for  the 
present  purpose  it  is  necessary  to  note  only 
the  thoughtfulness  of  the  Congress  for  the 
comfort  of  the  members  of  the  crews — espe 
cially  the  comfort  of  the  men  before  the  mast. 
A  remarkably  large  space  in  the  printed  report 
of  these  regulations  relates  to  the  feeding  of 
the  men,  and  if  to  this  space  be  added  that 
devoted  to  the  regulations  for  the  care  of  the 
sick  and  wounded,  together  with  what  was 
ordered  for  the  preservation  of  the  property 
rights  of  the  sailors,  then  more  than  one-half 
of  all  that  was  decided  upon  was  in  the  inter 
est  of  the  men  in  the  forecastle.  The  bearing 
of  this  policy  on  the  future  of  the  American 
navy  will  appear  further  on,  but  it  may  be  said 
here  that  it  was  not  for  nothing  that  grave 
legislators  were  concerned  to  provide  that  "  a 
proportion  of  canvas  for  pudding-bags,  after 
the  rate  of  one  ell  for  every  sixteen  men," 
should  be  served  out  at  proper  intervals. 

Thereafter  the  making  of  a  navy  went  on 
more  rapidly.  Within  a  week  word  came  that 
Lord  Dunmore,  with  a  fleet  in  the  Chesapeake 


THE    HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY  35 

Bay,  was  aiding  the  Tories  there  to  engage  in 
trade  with  the  West  Indies,  contrary  to  the 
colonial  regulations,  and,  worse  yet,  was  stir 
ring  up  a  race  war.  In  consequence  of  this 
the  Congress  resolved,  on  December  5th,  that 
all  the  vessels  engaged  in  the  trade  established 
by  Dunmore,  with  their  cargoes,  should  be 
seized  when  possible  and  held  "  until  the  fur 
ther  order  of  this  Congress."  And  that  is  a 
matter  of  importance,  because  it  was  the  first 
warrant  of  the  Congress  permitting  the  cap 
ture  of  merchant  ships  of  the  enemy  when 
engaged  in  another  traffic  than  the  carrying 
of  supplies  to  the  enemy's  military  or  naval 
stations. 

Next  (on  December  iith)  the  Congress  or 
dered  that  "a  committee  be  appointed  to  de 
vise  ways  and  means  for  furnishing  these  colo 
nies  with  a  naval  armament."  The  alacrity 
with  which  that  committee  acted  was  some 
thing  phenomenal,  for  in  two  days  they 
brought  in  their  report,  "which  being  read 
and  debated,"  was  adopted.  They  had  de 
termined  to  build  "five  ships  of  32  guns,  five 
of  28  guns,  three  of  24  guns,  making  in  the 
whole  thirteen."  These  were  to  be  constructed, 
one  in  New  Hampshire,  two  in  Massachusetts, 
one  in  Connecticut,  two  in  Rhode  Island,  two 
in  New  York,  four  in  Pennsylvania,  and  one 
in  Maryland.  They  were  expected  to  go  afloat 


36  THE   HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

"by  the  last  of  March  next,"  and  the  cost  was 
not  to  be  "more  than  66,666^  dollars  each,  on 
an  average,  allowing  two  complete  suits  of 
sails,  for  each  ship."  So  far  as  the  committee 
could  see,  there  would  be  but  one  difficulty  in 
the  way  of  sending  all  these  ships  to  sea  well 
found  for  the  service,  and  that  was  in  the  lack 
of  canvas  and  gunpowder.  They  would  need 
7,500  pieces  of  canvas  for  the  sails  and  100 
tons  of  powder  for  the  magazines,  and  there 
was  not  any  of  either  in  the  market. 

In  the  meantime  the  marine  committee  ap 
pointed  under  the  resolution  of  October  I3th 
to  fit  out  two  vessels  to  "  cruise  eastward  "  after 
the  king's  transports,  had  been  increased  in 
number,  and  in  December  consisted  of  Silas 
Deane,  Christopher  Gadsden,  John  Langdon, 
Stephen  Hopkins,  Joseph  Hewes,  and  Richard 
Henry  Lee.  John  Adams,  who  was  an  enthu 
siastic  supporter  of  the  project  to  create  a 
navy  from  the  moment  it  was  discussed,  had 
been  at  first  a  member  of  this  committee,  but 
because  of  other  duties  he  left  it,  and  Gadsden 
took  the  place.  The  names  of  these  men  are 
well  worth  remembering,  for  they  were  the 
originators  of  the  American  navy.  While  the 
Congress  was  preparing  to  build  the  navy  these 
men  had  labored  faithfully,  and  with  success, 
to  provide  one  ready  made  out  of  the  ships 
that  could  be  purchased  along  the  coast. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  39 

The  Congress  had,  on  November  2d,  placed 
$100,000  at  their  disposal.  With  this  they 
went  about  buying  ships  and  supplies  for  them. 
A  London  packet  called  the  Black  Prince 
came  into  port  under  command  of  that  Captain 
John  Barry  who,  later  on,  was  a  captain  in  the 
American  navy.  She  was  of  good  scantling, 
and  was  considered  a  vessel  worthy  of  becom 
ing  the  flagship  of  the  new  fleet.  The  com 
mittee  purchased  her,  and,  after  renaming  her 
the  Alfred,  after  'Alfred  the  Great,  they 
mounted  twenty  nine-pounclers  on  deck,  with 
four  (it  is  said)  smaller  guns — presumably 
four-pounders — on  the  forecastle  and  poop. 
Another  merchant  ship,  called  the  Sally,  was 
purchased  and  renamed  Columbus,  for  the  great 
explorer,  after  which  she  received  eighteen  or 
twenty  (authorities  vary)  nine-pounders.  She 
is  said  to  have  been  crank  (top-heavy)  and  of 
small  value.  Two  brigs  were  purchased  and 
renamed  the  Andrea  Doria,  for  the  famous 
Genoese  sailor,  and  the  Cabot,  for  the  early 
explorer  of  North  America.  These  are  set 
down  as  carrying  fourteen  four-pounders  each. 
A  third  brig  was  purchased  in  Providence  and 
named  for  that  town,  because,  according  to 
John  Adams,  that  town  was  "the  residence  of 
Governor  Hopkins  and  his  brother  Esek, 
whom  we  appointed  the  first  Captain."  She 
carried  twelve  guns — sixes  or  fours.  In  addi- 


40  THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

tion  to  these,  the  committee  obtained  a  sloop 
of  ten  guns,  called  the  Hornet,  and  an  eight- 
gun  schooner  named  the  Wasp.  These  were 
purchased  and  equipped  in  Baltimore,  and 
then  brought  around  to  Philadelphia.  The 


Vessel  of  War  Saluting,   with  the  Yards  Manned. 
From  an  old  French  engraving. 

Fly,    an    eight-gun    schooner,    completed    the 
list. 

While  the  committee  were  gathering  this 
fleet  at  Philadelphia,  the  Congress  showed  its 
appreciation  of  the  work  in  hand  by  voting 
that  the  crews  should  be  engaged  to  serve 


THE   HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  41 

until  January  i,  1777 — practically  for  one  year. 
They  further  voted  $500,000  of  the  conti 
nental  currency  to  the  use  of  the  naval  com 
mittee. 

Then,  on  Tuesday,  December  igth,  the  Con 
gress  still  further  showed  their  appreciation  of 
the  situation  of  affairs  by  resolving  "  that  the 
Committee  of  Safety  of  Pennsylvania  be  re 
quested  to  supply  the  armed  vessels,  which  are 
nearly  ready  to  sail,  with  four  tons  of  gun 
powder  at  the  continental  expense  "  ;  and,  fur 
ther,  "  that  the  said  committee  be  requested 
to  procure  and  lend  the  said  vessels  as  many 
stands  of  small  arms  as  they  can  spare,  not 
exceeding  400." 

The  Pennsylvania  people  had  already  agreed 
to  furnish  these  necessaries  ;  the  resolutions  of 
the  Congress  were  only  in  the  nature  of  vouch 
ers,  and,  twenty-four  hours  later,  the  first 
American  fleet  was  found  and  fitted  for  service. 
Only  the  crews  for  the  ships  were  needed,  and 
these  the  committee  had  provided  ready  for 
the  occasion,  so  all  that  was  then  required  to 
man  the  ships  was  for  the  Congress  to  confirm 
the  appointment  of  the  officers.  And  this  was 
done  on  the  memorable  date,  Friday,  Decem 
ber  22,  1775.  The  resolutions  of  the  Congress 
shall  be  given  in  full,  because  it  was  upon  this 
legal  warrant  that  the  American  navy  was 
founded.  They  were  as  follows  : 


42 


THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


c*^rfr/fr}    £v~&t/&ri?r—Sl£<^4s' 


Ls     t>*^rr7  £/tsi 


Facsimile  of  a  Letter  from  Abraham  Whipple  to   General   Lincoln  during  the   Siege  of 
Charleston. 

from  the  original  at  the  Lenox  Library. 

"  The  committee  appointed  to  fit  out  armed 
vessels,  laid  before  congress  a  list  of  the  offi 
cers  by  them  appointed  agreeable  to  the  pow 
ers  to  them  given  by  Congress,  viz  : 

Esek  Hopkins,  esq.  comander  in  chief  of 
the  fleet — 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR   NAVY  43 

Dudley  Saltonstall,  Captain  of  the  Alfred. 

Abraham  Whipple,  Captain  of  the  Columbus. 

Nicholas  Biddle,  Captain  of  the  Andrea 
Doria. 

John  Burrow  Hopkins,  Captain  of  the 
Cabot. 

First  lieutenants,  John  Paul  Jones,  Rhodes 
Arnold,  -  -  Stansbury,  Hoysted  Hacker, 

Jonathan  Pitcher. 

Second  Lieutenants,  Benjamin  Seabury, 
Joseph  Oln'ey,  Elisha  Warner,  Thomas 
Weaver,  -  -  McDougall. 

Third  Lieutenants,  John  Fanning,  Ezekiel 
Burroughs,  Daniel  Vaughn. 

Resolved,  That  the  Pay  of  the  Comander 
in-chief  of  the  fleet  be  125  dollars  per  calender 
month. 

Resolved,  That  commissions  be  granted  to 
the  above  officers  agreeable  to  their  rank  in 
the  above  appointment. 

Resolved,  That  the  committee  for  fitting  out 
armed  vessels,  issue  warrants  to  all  officers 
employed  in  the  fleet  under  the  rank  of  third 
lieutenants. 

Resolved,  That  the  said  committee  be  directed 
(as  a  secret  committee)  to  give  such  instruc 
tions  to  the  commander  of  the  fleet,  touching 
the  operations  of  the  ships  under  his  com 
mand,  as  shall  appear  to  the  said  committee 
most  conducive  to  the  defence  of  the  United 
Colonies,  and  to  the  distress  of  the  enemy's 
naval  forces  and  vessels  bringing  supplys  to 
their  fleets  and  armies,  and  lay  such  instruc 
tions  before  the  Congress  when  called  for." 


44  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR   NAVY 

The  thirteen  United  Colonies  had  at  last  a 
naval  fleet,  armed,  equipped,  and  manned,  and 
legally  authorized  to  sail  away  on  the  secret 
expedition  the  committee  had  planned.  But 
before  Commodore  Hopkins  might  up  anchor 
and  spread  his  canvas  to  the  breeze  there  was 
one  ceremony  to  be  performed  which,  though 
not  mentioned  in  any  colonial  law,  was  (and  it 
still  is)  considered  of  the  utmost  importance. 
He  must  "  put  his  ships  in  commission  " 
must  "pipe  all  hands  on  deck,''  and  then 
"  hoist  in  their  appropriate  places  the  national 
colors  and  the  pennant  of  the  commanding 
officer,"  after  which  he  must  address  the  crew 
and  "  read  to  them  the  order  by  virtue  of 
which  he  assumes  command." 

That  is  a  most  impressive  ceremony,  and  it 
was  now  to  be  performed  for  the  first  time  in 
the  American  naval  fleet. 

Important — even  thrilling  as  was  the  occa 
sion,  there  is  no  known  record  by  which  the 
date  on  which  this  ceremony  was  performed 
may  be  definitely  located.  But  it  is  unques 
tioned  that  the  naval  committee  of  the  Con 
gress  had,  on  this  December  22d,  secured  the 
crews  as  well  as  the  ships  for  a  fleet,  and  that 
the  crews  were  then  on  board  awaiting  the 
coming  of  properly  authorized  officers.  There 
is,  therefore,  no  reason  to  doubt  that  as  soon 
as  the  Congress  had  passed  the  resolutions 


THE    HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY  45 


Captain   Nicholas  Biddle. 
From  an  engraving  by  Edwin. 

above  quoted,  and  the  commissions  therein 
mentioned  had  been  signed,  the  commodore 
and  his  officers  immediately  went  on  board  to 
take  formal  possession. 

But  whatever  the  date,  it  is  recorded  that  it 
was  on  a  beautiful  winter  day  when  the  com- 


46  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

modore  and  his  officers  made  their  way  to  the 
foot  of  Walnut  Street,  Philadelphia,  where  a 
ship's  long-boat  awaited  them.  A  great  throng 
of  patriots  gathered  along  shore  on  the  arri 
val  of  the  officers,  and  the  shipping  along  the 
whole  river  front  was  not  only  decorated  with 
bunting,  but  decks  and  rails  and  rigging  were 
occupied  by  enthusiastic  spectators. 

Pushing  off  and  rowing  away  through  the 
floating  ice,  Commodore  Hopkins  reached  the 
ladder  at  the  side  of  the  Alfred,  and,  fol 
lowed  by  all  his  officers,  mounted  to  the  deck. 
The  shrill  whistle  of  the  boatswain  called  the 
crew  well  aft  in  the  waist  of  the  ship.  The 
officers  gathered  in  a  group  on  the  quarter 
deck.  A  quartermaster  made  fast  to  the  miz- 
zen  signal  halliards  a  great  yellow  silk  flag 
bearing  the  picture  of  a  pine  tree  with  a  coiled 
rattlesnake  at  its  roots,  and  the  impressive 
motto  "  Don't  Tread  on  Me."  This  accom 
plished,  he  turned  toward  the  master  of  the 
ship,  Capt.  Dudley  Saltonstall,  and  saluted. 

And  then,  at  a  gesture  from  the  captain, 
the  executive  officer  of  the  ship,  the  immortal 
John  Paul  Jones,  eagerly  grasped  the  flag  hal 
liards,  and  while  officers  and  seamen  uncov 
ered  their  heads,  and  the  spectators  cheered 
and  cannon  roared,  he  spread  to  the  breeze 
the  first  American  naval  ensign. 

The  grand  union  flag  of  the  colonies,  a  flag 


THE   HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  47 

of  thirteen  stripes,  alternate  red  and  white, 
with  the  British  jack  in  the  field,  and  the  pen 
nant  of  the  commander-in-chief,  were  then 
set,  and  the  resolutions  of  the  Congress  read. 
The  first  American  naval  fleet  was  in  com 
mission. 


A  Frigate  Chasing  a  Small   Boat. 
From  an  old  French  engraving. 


CHAPTER    II 


FIRST    CRUISE    OF    THE    YANKEE    SQUADRON 

A  FAIRLY  SUCCESSFUL  RAID  ON  NEW  PROVIDENCE,  BUT  THEY  LET  A 
BRITISH  SLOOP-OF-WAR  ESCAPE — CHARACTER  OF  THE  FIRST  NAVAL 
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  AND  OF  THE  MATERIAL  WITH  WHICH  HE 
HAD  TO  WORK — ESEK  HOPKINS,  A  LANDSMAN,  SET  TO  DO  A 

SAILOR'S   WORK — CREWS  UNTRAINED  AND  DEVOID  OF  "ESPRIT 
DE   CORPS " — GOOD  COURAGE,   BUT   A  WOEFUL  LACK    OF   OTHER 

NEEDED    QUALITIES — HOPKINS    DISMISSED    FOR    DISOBEDIENCE    OF 
ORDERS. 

THE  career  of  Commodore  Esek  Hopkins 
as  commander-in-chief  of  the  American  navy 
lasted  for  a  year  and  ten  days.  If  it  was  not 
a  glorious  career  it  was  at  least  an  instructive 
one,  and  the  candid  student  is  likely  to  con 
clude  that,  under  the  circumstances,  it  was 
creditable  to  his  reputation.  He  was  badly 
handicapped  from  the  beginning  in  a  variety 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  49 

of  ways,  but   in   spite  of  this  he  accomplished 
something. 

As  already  noted,  Commodore  Hopkins  re 
ceived  his  appointment  chiefly  through  the 
influence  of  John  Adams,  and  because  he  was 
the  brother  of  the  capable  Governor  of  Rhode 
Island.  The  student  of  American  history 
should  keep  in  mind  that  the  colonists  were 
still  monarchists  in  1775,  and  that  they  fol 
lowed  the  monarchial  system  of  appointing 
favorites  to  office.  That  is  to  say,  the  man 
who  had  the  most  influence,  who  had  what 
politicians  call  a  "pull,"  got  the  appointment, 
regardless,  usually,  of  his  fitness  for  the  place. 
Commodore  Hopkins  had  been  a  brigadier- 
general  in  the  Rhode  Island  militia  by  ap 
pointment  of  his  brother.  He  had  served  in 
various  capacities  at  sea,  but  it  is  likely  that 
training  had  made  him  a  soldier  rather  than  a 
sailor,  and  no  greater  mistake  can  be  made  by 
executive  authority  than  to  appoint  a  soldier 
to  do  a  sailorman's  work. 

Further  than  this,  the  vessels  under  the  com 
mand  of  Hopkins  were  all  built  for  carrying 
cargoes  and  not  for  fighting — they  were  not 
as  swift  or  as  handy  as  fighting  ships  of  the 
same  size.  Worse  yet,  they  were  manned  by 
crews  brought  together  for  the  first  time- 
men  who  were  not  only  unacquainted  with 
each  other,  and  therefore  devoid  of  esprit  de 


50  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

corps,    but   who   were    unaccustomed,    for    the 
most  part,    to    the    discipline    necessary    on    a 

man-of-war  and  untrained  in  the  use  of  oreat 

& 

guns.     When  compared  with  the  crews  of  the 


A  Letter  from   Esek   Hopkins. 
From  the  original  at  the  Lenox  Library, 

British  warships  they  were  more  inferior  in 
these  two  respects  than  were  the  raw  militia 
around  Boston  when  compared  with  the  Brit 
ish  regulars.  The  raw  militia  could  at  least 
shoot  well. 

With  these  facts   in   mind   it   is  worth  while 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  51 

comparing  the  American  ships  with  the  British 
naval  forces  on  the  coast.  As  said,  Commo 
dore  Hopkins  had  eight  vessels,  of  which  two 
only  were  ships,  and  the  others  were  brigs  or 
smaller,  and  all  were  lubberly  merchantmen. 
All  told,  this  squadron  mounted  just  1 14  guns, 
of  which  the  largest  was  a  cannon  that  could 
throw  a  round  cast-iron  ball  weighing  nine 
pounds.  Even  of  these  there  were  less  than 
fifty.  And  the  powder  to  load  them  and  the 
muskets  with  which  the  seamen  had  been 
armed  were  all  borrowed  from  the  common 
wealth  of  Pennsylvania. 

Yet  this  puny  squadron,  "  poor  and  con 
temptible,  being  for  the  greater  part  no  better 
than  whale  boats,"  as  a  British  authority  truly 
says,  was  to  go  to  sea  to  make  war — against 
what  force  does  the  reader  suppose  ?  A  navy 
of  112  ships,  carrying  3,714  guns,  of  which 
force  no  less  than  seventy-eight  ships,  carrying 
2,078  guns,  were  either  already  on  the  Ameri 
can  coast  or  under  orders  to  go  there. 

Nor  does  a  comparison  of  the  number  of 
guns — 114  against  2,078 — give  an  idea  of  the 
utter  inefficiency  of  the  American  sea  power ; 
for,  while  the  best  of  the  American  guns  was 
but  a  nine-pounder,  at  least  a  fourth  of  the  guns 
on  the  British  ships — at  least  500  of  them— 
were  eighteen-pounders  or  heavier.  For  every 
nine-pounder  in  the  American  ships  there  were 


52  THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 

at  least  ten  of  double  that  size  in  the  British, 
not  to  mention  the  1,500  and  more  guns  in  the 
fleet  that  included  six-pounders,  nine-pounders, 
and  twelve-pounders.  "  Poor  and  contempti 
ble  "  were  just  the  words  for  describing  the 


A  Corvette. 
From  an  old  French  engraving, 

comparative  merits  of  the  American  warships. 
And  in  the  matter  of  experience  and  training 
the  American  crews  were  but  little  better  than 
their  ships  and  guns.  As  will  appear  further 
on,  there  were  to  be  fights  between  British 
ships  manned  by  experienced,  thoroughly  dis 
ciplined  crews  of  full  numbers  against  Yankee 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  53 

ships  that  were   manned   for  the  greater  part 
by  seasick  landsmen,  and  short-handed  at  that. 

The  secret  orders  that  had  been  given  to 
Commodore  Hopkins  commanded  him  to  go 
in  search  of  Lord  Dunmore,  who  had  been 
making  so  much  trouble  along  the  shores  of 
Chesapeake  Bay  as  to  cause  Washington  to 
write  that  "  if  this  man  is  not  crushed  before 
spring  he  will  become  the  most  formidable 
enemy  America  has."  The  ships  were  to  gather 
at  Cape  Henlopen,  and  sail  thence  for  the 
Chesapeake.  But  the  Delaware  River  was  full 
of  ice,  and  it  was  not  until  February  17,  1776, 
that  the  squadron  finally  passed  out  to  sea. 
Then,  on  the  night  of  the  iQth,  while  running 
along  with  a  fresh  breeze,  the  Hornet  and  the 
Fly  became  separated  from  the  others,  and  did 
not  again  join  the  squadron. 

It  appears  from  the  meagre  record  that 
Hopkins  did  not  enter  the  Chesapeake  at  all. 
Instead  of  that  he  sailed  away  to  the  Bahama 
Islands,  because  he  had  learned  that  a  large 
quantity  of  military  supplies  were  stored  at 
New  Providence,  with  only  a  few  men  to  guard 
them.  He  was  determined  to  capture  the 
supplies. 

On  reaching  Abaco,  Hopkins  divided  his 
forces  by  sending  300  men  under  Capt. 
Samuel  Nichols,  in  ten  small  sloops  found  at 
Abaco,  to  capture  New  Providence.  Hopkins 


54  THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 

supposed  the  force  would  surprise  the  garrison, 
but  the  commander  was  found  ready  to  repel 
an  attack,  and  the  Providence  and  the  Wasp 
had  to  be  sent  over  to  assist  the  men  in 
landing. 

It  was  at  this  point  that  a  branch  of  the 
American  naval  personnel,  of  which  too  little 
notice  has  been  taken  by  historians,  first  made 
a  record  for  gallantry.  Captain  Nichols  was 
the  first  captain  of  marines  in  the  American 
naval  service,  the  organization  of  the  marine 
corps  having  been  ordered  by  the  Congress 
on  November  10,  1775. 

Under  cover  of  the  guns  of  the  Providence 
and  the  Wasp,  Captain  Nichols  and  his  ma 
rines  landed  on  the  beach,  and  then  "behaved 
with  a  spirit  and  steadiness  that  have  distin 
guished  the  corps  from  that  hour  down  to  the 
present  moment."  They  carried  the  forts  by 
assault.  "  A  hundred  cannon  and  a  large 
quantity  of  stores  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Americans,"  but  because  the  Governor  had 
been  apprised  of  the  coming  of  the  Ameri 
cans,  he  succeeded  in  sending  away  in  a  small 
coaster  150  barrels  of  powder. 

It  is  worth   noting  that  Commodore    Hep 
kins    not   only  loaded   his  vessels  with   these 
stores,  but  that  the  stores  made  a  heavy  cargo 
for    them,  and    they  were    deep  in    the  water 
when  they  turned  toward  home.      It  should  be 


rdorV'of  tLe  AM*aR_l"c^AN^     Sea 


Commodore   Esek  Hopkins. 
From  a  very  rare  English  engraving. 


56  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

further  noted  that  the  Governor  of  the  island 
"and  several  of  the  more  prominent  inhabi 
tants  "  were  carried  away  for  use  as  hostages 
to  compel  the  British  authorities  to  modify 
the  harsh  treatment  American  prisoners  were 
receiving. 

New  Providence  was  taken  in  the  middle  of 
March,  1776.  Elated  by  the  success  of  his 
expedition,  Commodore  Hopkins  set  sail  for 
the  north  on  the  i7th  of  that  month.  How 
much  more  elated  he  and  his  crews  would  have 
felt  could  they  have  known  that  at  four  o'clock 
on  that  morning  the  British  were  hurriedly, 
and  in  great  confusion,  leaving  Boston  through 
fear  of  an  assault  by  the  troops  of  Washing 
ton,  may  be  easily  imagined. 

Two  weeks  later  the  American  fleet  had  ar 
rived  off  the  east  end  of  Long  Island,  where, 
on  April  4th,  the  tender  Hawke,  of  six  guns, 
and  the  bomb-brig  Bolton,  of  twelve  guns, 
were  captured.  And  then  followed  a  conflict 
that  well-nigh  ruined  the  reputation  of  the 
first  American  fleet  commander.  It  began 
soon  after  midnight  on  the  morning  of  April 
6th. 

With  a  gentle  breeze,  the  fleet,  well  scat 
tered  out — too  well,  in  fact — was  washing 
along  over  the  smooth  sea  between  Block  Isl 
and  and  the  Rhode  Island  shore.  Only  those 
who  have  floated  and  dreamed  in  the  soft  light 


THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY  57 

of  a  warm  night  on  these  waters  can  fully  ap 
preciate  the  influences  of  sea  and  air  over  a 
sailor  on  such  an  occasion,  but  it  was,  last  of 
all,  a  night  for  thoughts  of  bloodshed.  Sud 
denly  a  large  strange  ship  appeared  in  the 
midst  of  the  fleet.  From  the  way  the  narra 
tive  reads  one  is  forced  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  lookouts  were  all  at  least  half  asleep. 
The  stranger  was  heading  for  the  flagship 
Alfred,  but  before  she  could  close  in,  the  crew 
of  the  little  brig  Cabot,  Capt.  John  Burrows 
Hopkins,  woke  up,  and,  ranging  alongside, 
they  hailed  her. 

For  a  reply  the  stranger  fired  a  broadside, 
and  so  began  the  first  naval  battle  of  the  first 
American  squadron. 

The  brave  captain  of  the  Cabot  returned  the 
fire,  in  spite  of  the  great  superiority  of  the 
stranger,  and  still  bravely  stood  to  his  duty, 
even  after  a  second  broadside  from  the  stranger 
had  partly  disabled  his  brig,  killed  a  number 
of  his  crew,  and  wounded  himself. 

The  Alfred,  the  flagship,  soon  came  ranging 
up  beside  the  stranger  and  opened  fire,  whereat 
the  stranger  turned  his  attention  to  her;  and 
then  came  the  Providence,  Captain  Hazard, 
who  secured  a  position  on  the  lee  quarter  (they 
were  all  close  hauled)  of  the  enemy,  where 
she  opened  an  effective  fire. 

By  this  time  the   Cabot  was   drifting  out  of 


58  THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

range,  but  the  Andrea  Doria  came  up  to  take 
her  place.  For  an  hour  thereafter  the  stranger 
maintained  the  unequal  contest,  while  the  fleet 
drifted  along  over  the  smooth  sea.  At  one 
time  a  shot  from  the  stranger  cut  away  the 
tiller  ropes  of  the  Yankee  flagship,  leaving  her 
to  broach  to  where  she  could  not  use  her  own 
£uns.  At  that  the  stranger  raked  her  fore  and 

o  o 

aft  with  a  number  of  broadsides.  But  when 
repairs  had  been  made  the  Alfred  closed  in 
once  more,  and  then,  at  about  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  the  stranger  found  it  too  hot, 
and,  putting  up  his  helm,  he  squared  away  for 
Newport  and  safety. 

Commodore  Hopkins  pursued  the  stranger 
until  after  daylight.  The  course  lay  along  the 
Rhode  Island  coast,  and  the  people  of  the 
region,  awakened  by  the  roar  of  the  guns, 
came  hurrying  to  the  cliffs  to  look  away  over 
the  smooth  water,  where  one  ship,  badly  cut 
up  aloft,  was  still  able  to  keep  ahead  of  the 
fleet  that  followed,  and  fired  at  frequent  inter 
vals  upon  the  pursued. 

But  the  ships  of  the  American  fleet  were 
cargo-carriers  deeply  loaded  with  the  spoils  of 
New  Providence,  and  the  stranger  was  a  man- 
o'-war  well  formed  and  fitted  for  the  sea.  So 
the  chase  ended  when  it  was  found  that  the 
stranger  steadily  gained,  and  the  distance  from 
Newport  was  growing  so  short  as  to  warrant 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 


59 


the  belief  that  the  cannonading  would  call  out 
the  British  fleet  then  lying  there.  So  the 
Yankee  fleet  "  hauled  its  wind,"  captured  a 
small  tender  that  had  been  in  company  with 
the  stranger,  and  then  made  port  at  New 
London. 

When  there  Commodore   Hopkins    learned 


An  English  "Seventy-Four"  and  a  Frigate  Coming  to  Anchor. 
From  an  old  engraving. 

that  the  stranger  he  had  encountered  was  the 

o 

British  sloop-of-war  Glasgow,  Capt.  Tyring- 
ham  Howe,  a  full-rigged  ship  (three  masts), 
carrying  twenty  guns,  and  a  crew  of  150,  all 
told.  She  had  lost  one  man  killed  and  three 
wounded,  while  the  American  loss  had  been 
in  all  twenty-four  killed  and  wounded,  of 
whom  the  little  brig  Cabot  lost  four  killed  and 
seven  wounded. 


60  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

Nothing  more  is  needed  to  show  the  supe 
riority  of  the  British  naval  crews  over  the 
American,  at  this  time,  than  the  above  state 
ment  of  casualties.  How  that  superiority  was 
overcome  at  the  last  will  appear  later  on  ;  but 
if  all  British  warships  in  the  contests  that  fol 
lowed  this  one  had  been  handled  as  Captain 
Howe  handled  the  Glasgow  the  story  of  the 
American  navy  would  not  have  appealed  to 
patriotic  American  pride  as  it  now  does. 

As  for  the  effect  of  this  fight  upon  the 
American  people  it  should  be  said  they  were 
at  first  elated  because  it  was  told  that  the 
American  fleet  had  driven  off  an  enemy  of 
superior  strength.  But  when  the  real  facts 
became  known  their  elatfon  was  turned  to 
anger  that  was  really  as  little  founded  in  rea 
son  as  their  joy  had  been.  Commodore  Hop 
kins  and  his  men  had  shown  unquestioned 
bravery.  Considering  their  lack  of  knowledge 
and  experience,  they  had  done  well  enough. 
They  had  captured  and  brought  into  port  mili 
tary  supplies  that  were  badly  needed  and  could 
be  obtained  only  by  capture  from  the  enemy. 
Unfortunately,  the  Americans  overlooked  this, 
and  thought  only  of  the  escape  of  the  valiant 
Glasgow. 

The  career  of  the  first  American  squadron, 
as  a  squadron,  practically  came  to  an  end  when 
it  arrived  at  New  London,  although  it  did 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  61 

afterwards  sail  thence  as  a  squadron  around  to 
Narragansett  Bay  after  the  British  left  New 
port.  What  remains  to  be  told  of  the  career 
of  Commodore  Hopkins  will  occupy  brief 
space.  In  the  month  of  June  the  Congress 
investigated  his  case.  His  good  friend  John 
Adams  defended  him  successfully.  It  was 
decided  that  he  had  exceeded  his  orders  in 
going  east  of  Long  Island,  for  he  had  been 
directed  to  "  annoy  the  enemy's  ships  upon 
the  coast  of  the  Southern  States,"  but  he  was 
merely  relieved  of  his  command  temporarily. 
On  October  i6th  his  case  was  considered 
once  more,  and  a  vote  of  censure  was  carried. 
On  October  iQth  he  was  directed  to  take 
"command  of  the  fleet  formerly  put  under 
his  care,"  but  he  was  very  dilatory  in  get 
ting  ready  for  sea,  and  so  he  was  once  more 
summoned  before  Congress.  This  summons 
he  refused  to  obey,  and  on  January  2,  1777, 
he  was  dismissed  from  the  service. 

According  to  Lieut.  F.  S.  Bassett,  U.  S.  N., 
Hopkins,  after  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
"  resided  near  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  was 
several  times  a  member  of  the  General  As 
sembly  for  that  State,  and  died  there  on 
February  26,  1802,  aged  eighty-four  years. 
He  was,  when  made  commander-in-chief,  fifty- 
seven  years  old,  and,  Bancroft  says,  old  and  in 
competent.  His  portraits  show  him  to  be  a 


62  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

man  of  vigor,  and  he  was  influential  in  the 
political  affairs  of  his  own  State.  His  bravery 
was  never  called  into  question,  but  he  was 
doubtless  not  a  good  seaman,  and  was  incom 
petent  to  command  the  navy." 

His  title  of  commander-in-chief  was  intended 
to  rank  him  with  Washington,  the  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  army.  The  title  was  never 
again  conferred  on  an  American  naval  man. 


CHAPTER    III 

ALONG    SHORE    IN     1776 

BRILLIANT  DEEDS  BY  THE  FIRST  HEROES  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NAVY 
— WHY  NICHOLAS  BIDDLE  ENTERED  PORT  WITH  BUT  FIVE  OF 
THE  ORIGINAL  CREW  OF  THE  ANDREA  DORIA— RICHARD  DALE 
ON  THE  SLEEK  LEXINGTON—  THE  RACEHORSE  CAPTURED  IN  AN 
EVEN  FIGHT  —  CAPTAIN  LAMBERT  WICKES  IN  THE  REPRISAL 
BEATS  OFF  A  LARGER  VESSEL  —  JOHN  PAUL  JONES  IN  HIS 
EARLIER  COMMANDS — A  SMART  RACE  WITH  THE  FRIGATE 
SOLERAY — SIXTEEN  PRIZES  IN  FORTY-SEVEN  DAYS  IN  CAPE 
BRETON  REGION — POKING  FUN  AT  THE  FRIGATE  MILFORD — 
THE  VALUABLE  MELLISH—t^  ABLE  FIGHTER  WHO  LACKED 
POLITICAL  INFLUENCE. 

A  MORE  cheerful  story  of  the  feats  of  Yan 
kee  sailormen  is  found  on  turning  to  the 
record  made  by  individual  vessels  during  the 
period  when  Commodore  Hopkins  was  at  the 
head  of  the  navy  list.  For  instance,  there  was 
the  brig  Lexington  (of  significant  name),  under 
the  command  of  Capt.  John  Barry,  who  had 
brought  the  Alfred,  when  she  was  the  mer 
chant  ship  Black  Prince,  into  Philadelphia  and 
sold  her  to  the  Congress.  While  Commodore 
Hopkins  was  in  New  London  explaining  how 
the  British  ship  Glasgow  had  escaped,  Captain 


64  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

Barry  was  cruising  off  the  Virginia  capes  ; 
and  on  April  17,  1776,  fell  in  with  a  tender 
called  the  Edward,  armed  with  six  or  eight 
guns  and  carrying  a  crew  of  thirty-five  men 
under  command  of  Lieutenant  Boucher.  The 
lack  of  skill  of  the  Americans  at  this  time  and 
the  bravery  of  the  English  are  both  conclu 
sively  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  Edward  held 
out  for  an  hour,  although  the  Lexington  car 
ried  sixteen  guns  and  twice  as  many  men  as 
the  tender. 

May  10,  1776,  should  be  a  memorable  one 
in  the  history  of  the  navy,  for  on  that  day 
John  Paul  Jones  first  received  an  independent 
command.  He  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
Providence  and  sent  to  carry  troops  to  New 
York.  What  he  subsequently  accomplished 
with  his  little  twelve-gun  brig  will  be  told  fur 
ther  on. 

On  May  i6th  the  Andrea  Doria,  Capt. 
Nicholas  Biddle,  was  ordered  to  sea.  For 
four  months  she  cruised  between  the  capes  of 
the  Delaware  and  the  coast  of  Maine,  and  dur 
ing  that  time  she  captured  ten  prizes,  all  but 
one  of  which  reached  port  safely.  Two  of 
these  transports  had  400  British  troops  on 
board.  The  British  frigate  Cerebus  recaptured 
one  of  these  transports,  and  the  prisoners  man 
aged  to  retake  the  other,  but  they  were  again 
captured  and  taken  in.  When  Captain  Biddle 


From  an  engraving  of  the  portrait  by  Chappel. 


66  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

at  last  brought  his  little  brig  into  port  he  had 
but  five  of  his  original  crew  on  board.  The 
others  had  all  been  sent  away  in  prizes  and 
their  places  supplied  by  volunteers  from  the 
vessels  captured. 

As  will  appear  further  on,  Nicholas  Biddle 
was  one  of  the  most  heroic  men  known  to  the 
American  naval  register.  He  was  one  who 
knew  his  duty,  and  no  odds  of  force  against 
him  deterred  him  in  doing  it. 

The  next  of  the  squadron  to  get  to  sea  was 
the  brig  Cabot,  of  fourteen  guns.  She  sailed 
under  Capt.  Elisha  Hinman  the  latter  part  of 
May,  and  was  gone  until  October  5th.  She 
sent  in  seven  prizes  during  this  time. 

Even  the  crank  old  Columbus  made  a  suc 
cessful  cruise.  Under  the  command  of  Capt. 
Abraham  Whipple,  whose  paving-stones  had 
.captured  the  Gaspe,  she  took  four  prizes  while 
at  sea  between  May  and  August. 

Meantime  the  schooner  Wasp,  under  Capt. 
Charles  Alexander,  took  the  British  bark 
Betsey  on  May  9th,  while  in  October,  under 
Lieutenant  Baldwin,  she  captured  three  more 
prizes. 

A  notable  event  of  the  year  was  the  adven 
ture  of  the  Lexington  under  Capt.  William 
Hallock.  She  was  returning  from  the  West 
Indies  loaded  with  powder  and  other  military 
stores,  when  she  was  captured  by  the  British 


68  THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 

frigate  Pearl.  There  was  such  a  high  sea 
running  at  the  time  that  the  captain  of  the 
Pearl  decided,  after  taking  four  or  five  men 
out  of  the  Lexington,  not  to  transfer  the  rest 
of  her  crew  to  his  own  ship.  So  he  placed  her 
in  charge  of  a  prize  crew,  with  orders  to  follow 
the  Pearl. 

As  night  came  on,  the  gale  increased  and 
the  sea  became  more  boisterous.  The  prize 
officers,  thinking  no  clanger  was  to  be  appre 
hended  from  the  prisoners  under  such  circum 
stances,  slacked  up  in  their  vigilance,  and 
eventually  both  the  prize  captain  and  the 
officer  of  the  deck  went  below  for  a  comfort 
ing  toddy.  At  that  the  watchful  Yankees 
knocked  the  British  sailor  from  the  tiller  and 
the  guards  to  the  deck,  secured  the  compan- 
ionway  against  the  exit  of  the  officers,  and, 
putting  up  the  helm,  headed  away  for  Balti 
more,  where  they  arrived  safely. 

A  leading  spirit  in  this  recapture  was  Mas 
ter's  Mate  Richard  Dale,  who  afterwards,  as 
the  executive  officer  of  the  Bonhomme  Rich 
ard,  under  John  Paul  Jones,  won  lasting 
honor. 

Another  stirring  event  of  this  year  was  the 
fight  between  the  Yankee  brig  Andrea  Doria 
and  the  British  brier  Racehorse.  It  was  the 

o 

more  stirring  for  the  reason  that  the  Race 
horse  had  been  sent  out  expressly  to  capture 


THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR   NAVY  69 

the  Yankee,  and  it  was  a  fair  and  even  match, 
ship  for  ship. 

The  Andrea  Doria^N^^  under  command  of 
Capt.  Isaiah  Robinson.  Captain  Robinson,  in 
the  sloop  Sachem,  had,  on  July  6th,  two  days 
after  the  colonies  had  declared  their  indepen 
dence  of  Great  Britain,  captured  a  British  ves 
sel  of  six  guns  and  brought  her  into  port. 
For  his  success  in  this  he  was  transferred  to 
the  brig  Andrea  Doria,  and  sent  to  the  Dutch 
port  of  St.  Eustatius  to  get  arms  and  ammu 
nition  for  the  American  army.  It  is  worth 
mentioning,  perhaps,  that  he  received  a  salute 
from  the  governor  of  the  port  (the  first  salute 
the  flag  ever  received  from  a  foreign  power), 
although  the  governor  was  afterward  removed 
from  office  at  the  request  of  the  British,  for 
firing  it.  Having  taken  in  his  cargo,  Captain 
Robinson  steered  for  home,  but  off  the  west 
ern  end  of  Porto  Rico  fell  in  with  the  Race 
horse,  and  during  the  next  two  hours  the 
sun-lit  tropical  seas  were  the  scene  of  what 
was  probably  the  first  even  sea  contest  of  the 
Revolution.  It  ended  in  the  surrender  of  the 
Racehorse  after  her  captain,  Lieutenant  Jones, 
had  been  mortally  wounded.  The  Andrea 
Doria  lost  four  killed  and  eight  wounded. 
The  loss  on  the  Racehorse  was  "  considerably 
greater." 

Captain     Robinson     brought    both    vessels 


70  THE   HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

safely  into  the  Delaware,  but  there  the  career 
of  the  little  Andrea  Doria  came  to  an  end,  for, 
before  she  could  get  to  sea  again,  she  had  to 
be  burned  to  prevent  her  falling  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy,  who  captured  Phila 
delphia  about  that  time. 

Another  West  India  fight  was  still  more  to 


St.   Pierre,    Martinique. 
From  an  old  engraving. 


the  glory  of  the  young  American  navy,  even 
though  the  enemy  was  not  captured.  The 
American  brig  Reprisal  sailed  for  Martinique 
early  in  the  summer  of  1776,  and  on  the  way 
captured  and  sent  home  a  number  of  prizes. 
But  when  just  outside  of  the  port  to  which  she 
was  bound  she  fell  in  with  the  British  sloop- 
of-war  Shark,  of  sixteen  guns.  Not  only  was 
the  Shark  the  larger  vessel ;  the  Reprisal,  be- 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  71 

cause  of  the  number  of  prizes  sent  home,  was 
short-handed.  Nevertheless,  when  the  Shark 
ranged  up  alongside  of  the  Yankee  and 
opened  fire  the  Yankee  fought  back.  The 
firing  of  the  great  guns  brought  the  people  of 
the  port  by  hundreds  to  the  heights  over 
looking  the  sea.  And  it  was  a  spectacle  well 
worth  their  coming,  too,  for  the  vigor  of  the 
Yankee  defence  compelled  the  Shark  to  haul 
of!  for  repairs. 

The  Reprisal,  during  this  cruise,  was.  com 
manded  by  Capt.  Lambert  Wickes.  As  will 
appear  further  on,  it  was  he  who  first  flaunted 
the  American  flacr  in  British  waters  and  took 

o 

British  ships  within  sight  of  the  British 
coasts. 

The  SJiark  afterward  came  into  port  and 
demanded  of  the  authorities  that  the  Repri 
sal  be  surrendered  as  a  pirate.  Of  course  the 
authorities' (they  were  Frenchmen)  refused. 

How  valuable  all  the  prizes  that  have  been 
mentioned  were  to  the  stru^r^lin^  colonists 

o  o          o 

cannot  be  told  here,  but  the  reader  will  re 
member  that  at  this  time  the  American  forces 
were  wholly  dependent  on  foreign  sources  for 
both  powder  and  great  guns.  The  Congress 
had,  indeed,  taken  steps  to  manufacture  mus 
kets  of  "  three-quarters  of  an  inch  bore,  and  of 
good  substance  at  the  breech,  the  barrel  to  be 
three  feet  eight  inches  long,  the  bayonet  to 


72  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

be  1 8  inches  in  the  blade."  But  there  was 
no  factory  for  making  these  weapons,  and 
the  individual  gunsmiths  employed  could  do 
very  little  toward  supplying  an  army.  There 
was,  in  short,  no  sort  of  military  supplies  that 
was  not  lacking  among  the  American  forces 
and  no  sort  that  these  captures  of  the  Yankee 
naval  vessels  did  not  to  a  greater  or  less 
extent  supply. 

And  what  was  of  equal  importance  to  the 
American  success  was  the  injury  done  to  the 
enemy.  During  the  year  1776  the  Yankees 
captured  342  vessels,  all  told,  "  of  which  forty- 
two  were  recaptured,  eighteen  released,  and 
five  burned." 

But  the  story  of  the  fortunes  of  the  navy 
during  the  first  year  of  its  existence  is  not 
yet  completed.  The  early  adventures  of  John 
Paul  Jones  are  yet  to  be  told. 

It  is  to  the  credit  of  Commodore  Hopkins 
that  at  the  end  of  the  cruise  of  his  fleet  he 
appreciated  and  admired  the  first  lieutenant 
of  the  service.  As  already  told,  he  ordered 
Lieutenant  Jones  to  the  command  of  the 
twelve-gun  brig  Providence  on  May  10,  1776. 
Having  no  blank  commissions,  Commodore 
Hopkins  wrote  the  new  commission  on  the 
back  of  the  old  one  that  Jones  had  received  as 
a  lieutenant  from  the  Congress. 

For    a    time    the   Providence  was    used    for 


THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  73 

carrying  troops  and  convoying  merchantmen 
along  shore,  and  so  successful  was  her  new 
captain  in  eluding  the  vigilant  cruisers  of  the 
enemy  that  he  attracted  the  notice  of  Congress, 
and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain,  of 
which  act  he  received  notice  on  August  8, 
1776. 

With  the  notice  that  he  had  been  promoted 
came  orders  to  cruise  for  prizes  "  between 
Boston  and  the  Delaware."  Captain  Jones 
was  now  fighting,  not  for  the  commercial 
privileges  of  oppressed  colonists,  but  for  a  new 
nation  struggling  for  recognition.  There  is 
no  doubt  that  since  July  4,  1776,  he  had  per 
formed  his  duty  with  a  better  heart  than  before 
that  date,  because  there  was  greater  honor  in 
helping  to  establish  a  nation  than  in  seeking 
justice  for  a  colony,  and  with  men  of  his  class 
honor  is  all  of  life.  In  his  ea^er  search  for 

o 

the  enemy  after  his  promotion,  Captain  Jones 
stretched  the  territory  that  had  been  assigned 
to  him  so  that  he  reached  the  neighborhood 
of  the  Bermudas. 

Here  on  September  i,  1776,  the  lookout 
discovered  a  fleet  of  five  ships  well  to  wind 
ward.  Jones  believed  that  they  were  merchant 
men,  and  began  beating  up  to  the  largest  of  the 
fleet,  but  on  getting  closer  she  was  found  to  be 
a  frigate — the  Solebay,  of  twenty-eight  guns. 
At  that  Jones  put  his  brig  on  the  other  tack, 


74  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR   NAVY 

and  for  nearly  four  hours  kept  beyond  range, 
though  the  frigate  steadily  gained  upon  him, 
and  was  at  the  last  within  less  than,  a  hundred 
yards,  and  a  little  on  the  brig's  lee  quarter. 
The  frigate  had  meantime  been  firing  at  inter 
vals  with  her  bow  guns,  though  without  effect. 

But  now  the  time  had  come  when  she  could 
yaw  around,  and  with  a  single  broadside  cut 
the  little  brig  to  pieces.  Any  man  would 
have  been  justified  in  surrendering  at  once 
to  save  life,  and  only  a  man  of  extraordinary 
bravery  and  resources  would  have  thought  of 
doing  otherwise.  But  Jones  was  the  man  for 
the  occasion. 

Fortunately,  the  weather  was  precisely  to 
his  liking — the  sea  was  level,  and  yet  there 
was  a  fresh  breeze  to  fill  the  sails  rap-full. 

Easing  his  vessel  away  from  the  wind  a  little 
to  give  her  more  headway  and  bring  her  more 
directly  under  the  bows  of  the  frigate,  where 
she  would  be  in  less  danger  of  a  broadside, 
Captain  Jones,  in  a  low  voice,  passed  the  word 
to  stand  by  to  square  away  before  the  wind 
and  set  studdingsails  high  and  low  on  both 
sides.  Very  quickly,  but  without  attracting 
attention,  the  crew  led  out  the  weather-braces 
and  the  spanker-brails,  and  placed  the  coils  of 
the  lee-braces  ready  for  veering  away.  The 
studdingsails  in  stops  were  brought  to  the 
rails,  and  halliards  and  sheets  made  fast.  This 


John   Paul  Jones. 
From  an  engraving  by  Longacre  of  the  portrait  by  C.  W.  Peale. 


76  THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 

done,  a  man  with  a  lighted  match  was  placed 
at  each  of  the  cannon  on  the  lee  side,  while  a 
quartermaster  bent  the  grand  union  flag  to 
the  signal  halliards. 

The  critical  moment  of  the  day  was  come, 
and  with  thrilling  nerves  the  crew  leaped  to 
obey  the  orders  that  followed  in  swift  succes 
sion.  The  helm  was  put  hard  up,  and  as  the 
spanker  was  brailed  in  to  the  mast,  the  quarter 
master  hoisted  the  colonies'  flag  to  the  truck. 
The  little  brig  turned  like  a  yacht  square 
down  across  the  frigate's  bows,  and  the  men 
at  the  guns  fired  what  was  at  once  a  salute 
to  their  flag  and  a  raking  blast  to  the  frigate. 
And  then,  out  of  the  white  cloud  of  smoke 
rolling  away  over  her  rails,  rose  the  filmy 
studding-sails  to  catch  the  helpful  gale. 

So  sure  had  the  crew  of  the  Solebay  been  of 
their  prize  that  the  sudden  dash  and  attack 
from  the  brig  threw  them  into  a  confusion 
from  which  they  did  not  recover  until  the 
Providence  was  beyond  the  reach  of  the  grape- 
shot  with  which  most  of  their  guns  were 
loaded.  Moreover,  the  Providence  now  had 
the  heels  of  it,  and  drew  steadily  away.  The 
Solebay  fired  over  100  round  shot,  all  told,  but 
not  one  took  effect. 

Captain  Jones  now  headed  his  brig  off  to  the 
coast  of  Nova  Scotia,  where  he  hove  to,  one 
day,  to  give  his  men  a  change  in  diet  by 


THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR   NAVY  77 

catching  codfish.  While  engaged  in  this  very 
pleasant  occupation  the  British  frigate  Milford 
came  down  on  him,  and  the  Providence  again 
had  to  run.  But  Jones  soon  found  that  he 
could  easily  outsail  the  Milford,  so  to  play 
with  the  enemy  he  shortened  sail  and  allowed 
her  to  gain.  Like  a  fat  hound  on  the  trail, 
she  began  to  bark — to  fire  when  a  long  way  off, 
and  with  no  more  damage  to  the  Providence 
than  a  dog's  bark  would  have  been. 

"  He  excited  my  contempt  so  much  by  his 
continual  firing  at  more  than  twice  the  proper 
distance  that  when  he .  rounded  to  to  give  a 
broadside,  I  ordered  my  marine  officer  to  re 
turn  the  salute  with  only  a  single  musket," 
said  Captain  Jones  in  his  report  of  the  affair 
to  the  marine  committee  of  the  Congress. 

The  next  day  Captain  Jones  sailed  into 
Canso  Harbor.  It  should  be  kept  in  mind  at 
this  point  that  the  Congress  had,  on  March 
23,  17/6,  resolved  "that  the  inhabitants  of 
these  colonies  be  permitted  to  fit  out  armed 
vessels  to  cruise  on  the  enemies  of  these  United 
Colonies  "-—the  restriction  that  made  prizes  of 
the  enemy's  men-of-war  and  transports  only 
was  entirely  removed.  The  Congress  had 
been  driven  to  this  step,  of  course,  by  the 
many  outrages  committed  on  the  colonial 
coast  by  the  British  cruisers.  Acting  under 
this  authority,  and  remembering  these  outrages, 


78  THE    HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 

Captain  Jones  found  in  Canso  three  English 
schooners.  He  burned  one,  sunk  another, 
and  loaded  a  third  with  the  cargoes  of  the 
other  two. 

Next  day  he  took  small  boats  well  armed 
and  his  flagship,  and  went  after  nine  disman 
tled  British  vessels — ships,  brigs,  and  schooners 
-lying  at  Madame  Island,  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Bay  of  Canso.  Finding  the  crews  of  these 
vessels  on  shore,  Captain  Jones  promised  to 
leave  them  enough  of  their  fleet  to  take  them 
home  if  they  would  help  him  fit  the  rest  for 
sea.  They  agreed  to  this,  and  on  September 
26,  17/6,  Captain  Jones  got  away  with  three 
large  and  deeply  laden  prizes.  The  ship  Ad 
venture  he  burned  in  the  harbor. 

After  a  cruise  of  forty-seven  days,  all  told, 
he  was  again  in  Newport  Harbor,  having  mean 
time  captured  sixteen  prizes,  besides  destroy 
ing  "  many  small  vessels  "  and  giving  the  peo 
ple  of  Nova  Scotia  and  Cape  Breton  a  taste 
of  the  fear  that  had  been  felt  on  the  Yankee 
coast.  But  he  did  not  destroy  the  homes  of 
those  people  as  the  homes  of  Portland,  Maine, 
had  been  destroyed. 

Meantime  Captain  Jones  had  learned,  while 
on  the  Cape  Breton  coast,  that  a  hundred 
American  prisoners  were  kept  at  work  as  con 
victs  in  the  coal  mines  there,  and  on  reaching 
his  home  port  he  proposed  an  expedition  to 


THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY  79 

liberate  the  prisoners  and  capture  the  coal 
fleet  which  was  appointed  to  sail  from  Cape 
Breton  to  New  York  (then  in  the  hands  of  the 
British).  Commodore  Hopkins,  who  was  still 
at  the  head  of  the  navy,  approved  the  plan, 
and  put  Captain  Jones  in  command  of  the  flag 
ship  Alfred,  and  ordered  the  Providence,  Capt. 
Hoysted  Hacker,  to  go  with  him. 

On  November  2,  1776,  these  two  vessels  got 
under  way,  and  on  the  night  of  the  3d  passed 
safely  through  the  British  squadron  off  Block 
Island.  The  cruise  was  without  incident  until 
off  the  east  coast  of  Cape  Breton,  where,  on 
November  I3th,  they  fell  in  with,  and  after  a 
brisk  action  captured,  two  British  vessels,  of 
which  one  was  the  brig  Afellish,  of  ten  guns 
and  carrying  150  men.  On  boarding  her  she 
was  found  to  be  loaded  down  with  supplies 
for  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  who  had,  during  the 
summer  and  early  fall,  been  moving  heaven 
and  earth  to  build  a  fleet  on  Lake  Champlain 
to  sweep  away  the  little  American  squadron 
there  and  so  open  the  trail  that  led  to  Albany, 
the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Hudson.  Sir 

o 

Guy  had  already  been  driven  back  by  the  sur 
passing  bravery  and  ability  of  Benedict  Arnold, 
as  will  be  told  further  on,  and  because  of  this 
defeat  (it  was  practically  a  defeat)  he  was  still 
more  in  need  of  the  supplies  than  he  would 
have  been  if  successful  in  his  plans. 


So  THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR   NAVY 

Among  other  goods  of  the  greatest  value, 
the  cargo  of  the  Mellish  included  10,000  com 
plete  uniforms. 

On  the  same  day  a  large  fishing  vessel  was 
captured,  from  which  sufficient  provisions  were 
taken  to  replenish  the  American  stores,  that 
were  already  growing  scanty. 

The  next  day,  during  a  violent  northwest 
gale,  the  Providence  was  separated  from  the 
flagship,  and  she  sailed  away  for  Newport ; 
but  Captain  Jones  held  fast  to  his  original 
purpose. 

Entering  Canso  once  more,  he  burned  an 
English  transport  and  a  warehouse  filled  with 
oil  and  whalers'  supplies.  Continuing  his  voy 
age  along  the  coast,  he  fell  in  with  the  coal 
fleet.  It  was  under  the  protection  of  a  British 
frigate,  but  the  air  was  "dull,"  as  the  people 
of  that  coast  say — it  was  a  foggy  day,  and  Cap 
tain  Jones  captured  three  of  the  largest  of  the 
fleet. 

Two  days  later  he  fell  in  with  a  British  pri 
vateer  from  Liverpool,  out  for  a  cruise  after 
merchant  ships  belonging  to  the  Americans. 
His  hope  of  prize  money  was  soon  dispelled  by 
the  guns  of  Captain  Jones,  and  his  ship  was 
added  to  the  Yankee  fleet.  As  she  was  pretty 
well  armed,  she  was  manned  with  Yankees 
under  Lieutenant  Saunders. 

Finding   now  that  the  harbors  adjacent  to 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  81 

the  coal  mines  were  blocked  with  ice  ;  finding, 
moreover,  that,  with  the  addition  of  150  pris 
oners  to  the  number  of  men  on  board,  he  was 
short  of  both  food  and  water,  Captain  Jones 
felt  obliged  to  steer  for  home  instead  of  trying 
to  rescue  the  Americans  in  the  coal  mines. 

The  little  fleet  kept  well  together  until  off 
the  Georges  Bank,  when,  late  in  the  afternoon, 
the  British  frigate  Milford,  that  had  chased  the 
Providence  in  the  last  voyage,  was  discovered. 
Knowing  the  speed  of  the  Milford,  Captain 
Jones  at  once  laid  his  plan  for  escape.  His 
own  ship,  \\\e  Alfred,  could  outsail  the  frigate, 
but  the  prizes  could  not.  The  frigate  was 
sure  to  overtake  them,  though  not  until  after 
dark.  So  the  captain  of  each  of  the  prizes 
was  instructed  to  hold  fast  on  the  course  on 
which  they  were  then  sailing  all  night,  regard 
less  of  any  signals  they  might  see  from  the 
flagship,  and  then,  when  day  should  come,  to 
make  the  best  course  possible  to  port. 

When  this  order  was  fully  understood  Cap 
tain  Jones  waited  calmly  for  the  early  nightfall 
of  the  season.  The  Milford  was  steadily  gain 
ing,  but  the  Alfred,  with  shortened  sail,  re 
mained  with  the  prizes  as  if  to  protect  them. 
But  when  night  was  fully  come  the  Alfred, 
with  signals  aloft  for  her  prizes  to  follow, 
went  off  on  the  other  tack,  and  the  Milford 
promptly  followed,  while  the  prizes,  except 


82  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

the  privateer  under  Lieutenant  Saunders,  kept 
on  as  before. 

So,  when  daylight  came,  all  of  the  prizes 
but  the  privateer  were  out  of  sight.  The  pri 
vateer  was,  therefore,  retaken.  During  the  af 
ternoon  a  snowstorm  came  up.  The  Milford 
was  still  in  chase  of  the  Alfred,  but  the  Yan 
kee,  "amid  clouds  and  darkness  and  foaming 
surges,  made  her  escape." 

The  Alfred  arrived  safely  in  Boston  on 
December  15,  1776,  but  she  had  water  and 
provisions  for  only  two  days  left.  When  there 
her  crew  had  the  satisfaction  of  learning  that 
all  the  other  prizes  had  arrived  in  safety. 

The  importance  of  the  Hellish  as  a  prize 
was  far  greater,  of  course,  than  her  mere 
money  value,  because  of  the  uniforms  she  car 
ried.  These  were  at  once  forwarded  to  Wash 
ington's  men  at  Trenton.  So  great,  indeed, 
had  been  the  value  of  this  transport,  that  Cap 
tain  Jones  had  determined  to  sink  her  if  at  any 
time  he  deemed  her  in  great  danger  of  recap 
ture  by  the  enemy,  because  her  loss  would 
"  distress  the  enemy  more  than  can  be  easily 
imagined."  The  service  which  John  Paul 
Jones  had  rendered  the  colonies  during  the 
fall  of  1776  was  greater  than  that  of  any  other 
man  who  had  been  afloat. 

Nevertheless,  on  reaching  port,  instead  of 
finding  rewards  and  promotions  awaiting  him, 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  83 

"he  was  mortified  by  degradation  and  injus 
tice."  Commodore  Hopkins,  though  about  to 
be  dismissed  from  the  service,  was  still  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  navy.  Jealous  of  the 
growing  fame  of  John  Paul  Jones,  he  placed 
Captain  Hinman  in  command  of  the  Alfred 
and  ordered  Jones  back  to  the  little  bng  Provi 
dence.  Nor  was  that  the  worst  of  the  trouble 
that  Captain  Jones  had  to  face.  The  politicians 
in  Congress  had  kept  the  distribution  of  rank 
in  their  own  hands — they  had,  in  fact,  declared 
on  April  i  7,  i  776,  that  rank  should  not  be  regu 
lated  by  the  date  of  original  appointments, 
but  at  the  discretion  of  the  Congress.  So  it 

o 

was  that  the  men  in  the  navy  who  had  influ 
ence  in  Congress  could  get  promotion  regard 
less  of  the  quality  of  their  services,  while  men 
without  influence  had  to  surfer.  While  John 
Paul  Jones  was  on  the  high  seas  gathering 
supplies  for  the  American  army  the  Congress 
made  out  a  new  list  of  naval  captains,  and 
Jones,  who  had  been  the  first  of  the  lieutenants 
after  a  list  of  five  captains,  found  himself  the 
eighteenth  in  the  new  list  of  captains,  although 
none  of  those  ahead  of  him  had  rendered  more 
distinguished  services  than  he  or  showed  greater 

o  o 

ability  as  a  commander,  and  but  three  or  four 
at  most  had  done  as  well.  And  John  Paul 
Jones  always  wrote  the  word  rank  with  a 
capital  R. 


CHAPTER    IV 

HE   SAW    "THE    COUNTENANCE    OF    THE    ENEMY" 

THE  STORY  OF  ARNOLD'S  EXTRAORDINARY  FIGHT  AGAINST  OVER 
WHELMING  ODDS  ON  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN — A  THOUSAND  SAILORS, 
OF  WHOM  SEVEN-TENTHS  WERE  PICKED  MEN,  ARMED  WITH 
THE  HEAVIEST  GUNS,  WERE  PITTED  UNDER  A  COURAGEOUS 
LEADER  AGAINST  7OO  YANKEES,  CHIEFLY  HAYMAKERS,  POORLY 
ARMED  AND  WITH  INSUFFICIENT  AMMUNITION — SAVAGES  WITH 
SCALPING  KNIVES  AIDED  THE  BRITISH — A  DESPERATE  STRUG- 
.  GLE  AT  THE  END — THE  BEST  ALL-AROUND  FIGHTER  UNDER 
WASHINGTON. 

IF  the  naval  Lexington — the  first  battle  of 
the  Revolution  afloat — was  fought  on  the  bar 
at  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  the  naval  Bunker 
Hill,  a  battle  wherein  glory  and  renown  were 
gained  in  defeat,  was  fought  on  Lake  Cham- 
plain.  Not  only  was  the  moral  effect  of  this 
battle  quite  as  great  in  the  courage  it  gave 
the  Americans,  and  the  pause  for  thought  it 
gave  the  enemy  ;  it  served  to  head  off  a  victo 
rious  invading  British  army  bound  for  Albany 
and  the  subjugation  of  northern  New  York. 

The  American  troops  had  invaded  Canada, 
some  under  Benedict  Arnold  going  through 
the  Maine  woods,  and  some  under  Montgom 
ery  going  by  way  of  Lake  Champlain.  The 


I  V 


THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY  85 

two  bodies  had  united  under  the  walls  of 
Quebec,  and  there  Montgomery  had  died  and 
Arnold  had  bled  in  vain.  The  terrors  of  the 
fierce  Canadian  winter  and  the  distress  of  dis 
ease  had  aided  the  British  forces  in  driving 
the  Americans  back,  until  at  last,  in  the  fall  of 
1776,  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  at  the  head  of  the 
British,  was  lodged  at  St.  John's,  at  the  north 
end  of  Lake  Champlain,  while  Crown  Point 
was  the  advance  post  of  the  Americans. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  at  this  time  the 
waves  of  this  beautiful  lake  lapped  the  unbro 
ken  wilderness,  no  matter  what  the  direction 
of  the  wind  might  be.  St.  John's,  Crown 
Point,  and  Ticonderoga  were  but  military 
posts,  and  there  was  not  even  a  woodsy  road 
for  wagons  on  either  side  of  the  lake  north  of 
Crown  Point. 

Sir  Guy  Carleton  was  confident  in  the  belief 
that  the  revolted  colonies  would  soon  be  sub 
jugated,  and  he  was  full  of  ambition  to  have  a 
part  of  the  glory  that  would  cover  the  British 
officers  in  their  hour  of  triumph.  His  plan 
was  to  pass  Lakes  Champlain  and  George 
with  the  ample  forces  at  his  command,  and 
then  slash  his  way  through  the  wilderness  to 
Albany.  Once  there,  the  king's  ships  could 
come  to  meet  him,  the  American  territory 
would  be  cut  in  two  at  the  Hudson,  and  then 
the  end  would  come. 


86 


THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


There  was,  indeed,  when  he  arrived  at  the 
north  end  of  Lake  Champlain,  but  one  reason 
why  he  did  not  press  on  in  this  victorious 
career.  He  could  not  pass  over  the  lake  for 


Sir  Guy  Carleton. 
From  an  engraving  by  A .  H.  Ritchie. 

want  of  boats.  The  Americans,  in  their  retreat, 
had  carried  off  or  destroyed  every  boat  on  the 
lake. 

But  Sir  Guy  Carleton  was  a  man  of  energy 
as  well  as  ambition.      At  his  request  three  ships 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  87 

were  sent  over  from  England  in  such  shape 
that  they  might  be  taken  to  pieces  on  reaching 
the  outlet  of  Lake  Champlain.  This  done,  the 
parts  were  transported  over  the  wilderness  road 
to  St.  John's,  and  there  set  up  and  launched  in 
the  lake.  Meantime  a  British  naval  officer  had 
been  busy  in  superintending  the  building  of  a 
fleet  of  smaller  vessels  at  St.  John's — a  fleet  on 
which  not  only  the  sailors  from  the  king's  ships 
at  Montreal  worked,  but  the  soldiers  of  the 
army;  and  even  the  farmers  from  the  Canadian 
settlements  were  forced  to  turn  to.  Carleton 
himself  was  ever  present  to  force  on  the  work. 
Fortunately,  the  task  he  had  set  was  a  long 
as  well  as  a  hard  one.  With  all  the  men  and 
means  at  his  command,  he  could  not  get  ready 
to  sail  until  well  on  into  the  month  of  October. 
But  when  he  was  ready  his  was  a  fleet  fit  to 
terrify  as  well  as  astonish  the  farmers  that,  for 
the  most  part,  composed  the  American  forces, 
then  under  command  of  General  Gates,  at 
Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point.  The  Inflex 
ible,  that  carried  the  flag  of  the  fleet,  was  a  ship 
of  300  tons,  and  carried  eighteen  twelve-pound 
ers.  There  was  one  schooner  called  the  Maria, 
with  fourteen  guns,  and  another,  the  Carleton, 
of  twelve  guns.  There  was  a  huge  scow  very 
appropriately  call  the  Thunderer,  for  she  was 
armed  with  six  twenty-four-pounders  and  twelve 
six-pounders,  besides  several  brass  howitzers. 


Drawn   from  Life  at  Philadelphia  by  Du   Simitier. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  89 

There  was  a  gondola  of  seven  guns.  There 
were  twenty  gunboats  with  one  carriage  gun 
each,  the  guns  varying  in  size  from  nine  to 
twenty-four-pounders.  In  all,  the  British  flo 
tilla  included  twenty-five  vessels,  that  were 
armed  with  eighty-nine  first-class  guns  of  that 
day,  and  abundantly  supplied  with  ammunition. 

To  Benedict  Arnold  was  given  the  task  of 
preparing  a  flotilla  to  stop  the  invasion  of  Sir 
Guy  Carleton.  Benedict  Arnold  was  an  army 
officer  and  in  command,  under  Gates,  of  militia 
who  were,  as  said,  for  the  most  part  farmers. 
But  Arnold  was  a  man  of  infinite  resource, 
energy,  and  courage.  Some  shipwrights  and 
sailmakers  were  brought  from  the  American 
coast,  and  with  such  materials  as  were  at  hand 
he  set  to  work  to  build  a  navy  for  the  defence 
of  the  lake.  He  had,  fortunately,  seen  service 
at  sea,  and  the  task  was  not  wholly  beyond  his 
experience. 

When  the  month  of  October  arrived  Arnold 
was  afloat  with  a  fleet  of  fifteen  vessels — the 
twelve-gun  schooner  Royal  Savage,  the  ten-gun 
sloop  Enterprise,  the  eight-gun  schooner  Re 
venge,  the  eight-gun  galley  Trumbull,  the  eight- 
gun  galley  Congress,  the  eight-gun  galley 
Washington,  the  six-gun  galley  Lee,  the  five- 
gun  gondola  Spitfire,  the  five-gun  gondola 
Connecticut,  the  three-gun  gondola  New  Haven, 
the  three-gun  gondola  Providence,  the  three- 


9o  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

gun  gondola  Philadelphia,  the  three-gun  gon 
dola  Jersey,  the  three-gun  gondola  New  York, 
and  the  three-gun  gondola  Boston. 

Two    or  three  of  the  names  of  the  vessels 
built   for   the   impending  strife  may  be  worth 


The  Royal  Savage. 

noting.  The  British  named  one  of  their  me 
dium-sized  vessels  the  Loyal  Convert.  Arnold 
named  the  largest  of  his  the  Royal  Savage. 
Carleton  named  another  for  himself,  but  Ar 
nold,  less  vain,  went  to  the  leaders  of  the 
American  army  and  to  the  towns  of  the  nation 
for  the  names  of  his  ships. 


THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY  91 

On  the  whole,  the  American  fleet  mounted 
eighty-eight  guns  to  the  eighty-nine  of  the 
British  fleet,  but  they  were  inferior  in  weight 
of  metal  thrown,  the  largest  being  eighteen- 
pounders  to  the  British  twenty-four-pounders, 
while  they  needed  811  men  for  a  full  comple 
ment,  but  had  only  700.  And  these  were, 
from  a  man-o'-warman's  point  of  view,  "a 
miserable  set ;  indeed,  the  men  on  board  the 
fleet  in  general  are  not  equal  to  half  their 
number  of  good  men."  It  was  not  that  they 
lacked  good  will  or  bravery  ;  it  was  that  they 
were  landsmen  and  untrained  in  the  work 
before  them. 

On  the  other  hand,  Sir  Guy  Carleton's  fleet 
was  manned  by  a  thousand  men,  among  whom 
were  "  eight  officers,  nineteen  petty  officers 
and  670  picked  seamen"  from  the  British  war 
ships  in  the  St.  Lawrence,  besides  the  soldiers 
of  the  expedition.  The  quotation  is  from 
Schomberg's  "  History  of  the  British  Navy." 
In  addition  to  the  regular  crews,  the  British 
fleet  was  supported  by  a  host  of  Iroquois 
Indians. 

Just  south  of  the  present  site  of  Plattsburg 
lies  Valcour  Island.  The  bay  on  the  west  side 
of  which  Plattsburg  stands  is  enclosed  by  a 
long  cape  called  Cumberland  Head. 

At  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  Wednesday, 
October  u,  1776,  Benedict  Arnold's  little  fleet 


92 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 


THE  BATTLE  OF 

LAKE  CHAMPLAIN. 


lay  at  anchor  in 
a  line  across  the 
north  end  of  the 
strait      between 
Valcour    Island 
and     the    main 
land.      It  was  a 
clear,  cold  morn 
ing.       A   strong 
northerly     wind 
was    sweeping 
through     this 
narrow    valley 
between      the 
Green     Moun 
tains     and     the 
ever-beautiful 
Adirondac  ks. 
It  was  just   the 
kind    of    a    day 
that    Sir    Guy 
Carleton  wanted 
for  his    passage 
over    the     lake, 
and,   soon    after 
sunrise,  his  fleet 
came     snoring 
along  under  full 
sail    past    Cum 
berland  Head. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


93 


Because  Arnold's  little  fleet  lay  well  behind 
the  forest  on  Valcour  Island,  Sir  Guy  and  his 
fleet  drove  past  without  discovering  that  any 
one  was  there  ;  but  when  they  had  opened  out 
the  view  from  the  south  between  Valcour  Isl 
and  and  the  mainland,  they  saw  that  they 
were  exposing  their  rear  to  the  Americans. 
At  this  it  was  down  helm  and  haul  their  tacks 
and  get  out  oars 
on  the  smaller  ves 
sels,  but  the  wind 
was  so  strong  that 
it  was  not  until 
after  ten  o'clock 
that  the  head  of 
the  fleet,  which  in 
cluded  the  schooner 
Carleton  and  the 
gunboats,  arrived 
within  the  channel 
where  the  American 
fleet  lay. 

In  the  meantime 
Arnold  had  taken  the  gondola  Congress  as 
his  flagship — no  doubt  because  she  was  fur 
nished  with  oars,  and,  as  a  double-ender,  could 
be  easily  handled — and  with  two  other  gon 
dolas  and  the  schooner  Royal  Savage,  went 
down  wind  to  meet  the  enemy.  He  reached 
them  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  the  battle  opened 


The  Action  of  October   11,    1776. 

A.  Plan  of  action.     B.  Congress  galley  and  five 
gondolas. 


94 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


with  a   broadside   from   the    British    schooner 
Carleton. 

In  a  brief  time  the  whole  of  the  British  fleet 
of  gunboats  and  gondolas  got  into  line,  and 
Arnold  was  obliged  to  beat  back  to  the  sup- 


Fight  on  Lake  Champlain,    1776.' 

A.  American  fleet.  B.  Gunboats.  C.  Schooner  Carleton.  D.  Ship  Inflexible.  E.  Anchor 
age  of  I'ritish  fleet  during  the  night.  F.  Radeau  Thunderer.  G.  Gondola  Loyal  Con-vert. 
H.  Schooner  Maria,  with  Carleton  on  board. 

port  of  the  remainder  of  his  vessels.  In  mak 
ing  this  retreat  the  schooner  Royal  Savage 
was  disabled  by  the  shot  of  the  enemy,  and 
before  repairs  could  be  made  she  grounded 
hard  and  fast  on  Valcour  Island.  There  she 
was  fired,  and  then  abandoned  by  her  crew, 
who  escaped  to  the  woods  on  the  island,  where 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  95 

some  of  them  met  a  worse  fate  than  death  in 
the  fleet,  for  Sir  Guy  Carleton  had  sent  his 
Indians  into  the  woods  on  both  sides  of  the 
narrow  water  where  the  action  was  held,  and 
these,  of  course,  tortured  as  well  as  killed  such 
prisoners  as  happened  to  fall  into  their  hands. 

Giving  little,  if  any,  heed  to  the  aban 
doned  American  schooner,  the  British  squad 
ron  pressed  into  the  narrow  sound.  The 
Inflexible,  because  she  was  a  square  -  rigged 
vessel,  could  not  be  handled  there,  nor  could 
the  formidable  scow,  but  the  swarms  of  gon 
dolas  and  gunboats  were  as  easily  managed  as 
the  American  vessels. 

By  the  time  Arnold,  with  the  Congress,  had 
formed  his  line  the  British  were  "  within 
musket  shot "  —they  were  but  forty  or  fifty 
yards  away,  and  were  veering  to  and  fro  to 
bring,  now  this  broadside  and  now  that  to 
bear  on  the  American  squadron,  while  the 
Americans,  meeting  turn  with  turn  and  ma 
noeuvre  with  manoeuvre,  fought  back  without 
yielding  a  boat's  length.  The  cannon,  huge 
for  the  day  and  place,  belched  flame  and 
smoke.  The  round  shot  bounded  along  the 
water  to  bury  themselves  in  the  soft-wood 
hulls  of  the  ships  or  cut  away  the  oars  with 
which  the  hulls  were  managed,  or  flew  wild  to 
sink  at  last  harmless.  The  grape-shot  drove 
through  the  air  in  death-dealing  squalls.  The 


96  THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY 

roar  of  the  conflict  filled  the  valley  and  was 
echoed  back  from  the  mountains.  The  smoke 
clouds  drifted  into  the  evergreen  forests  on 
both  shores  of  the  little  sound.  The  breath 
of  hell  mingled  with  the  fragrant  odors  of 
balsams  and  spruce  and  hemlock.  The  forest 
spit  flames  and  lead  back  at  the  Americans. 
Cry  answered  to  cry  and  the  yell  of  defiance 
to  the  war-whoop  of  the  savage.  Arnold  him 
self,  on  the  deck  of  the  Congress,  led  in  the 
thickest  of  the  fight,  cheering  to  the  men  as 
they  worked  at  the  guns,  and  at  frequent  in 
tervals  stooping  over  a  gun  to  aim  and  fire  it 
with  his  own  hands. 

The  region  around  the  scene  of  that  battle 
is  in  these  days  the  health  resort  of  thou 
sands  in  the  summer  season.  We  who  see 
it  now  can  hardly  realize  that  it  was  the 
chosen  haunt  of  Death  on  that  bleak  October 
day  of  1776. 

There  is  a  paragraph  in  a  report  by  Lieu 
tenant  Hadden,  of  the  British  forces,  that  re 
lates  to  one  branch  of  the  British  forces,  and 
is  worth  quoting.  He  says  : 

"  These  savages  under  Major  Carleton 
moved  with  the  fleet  in  their  canoes  which 
were  very  regularly  ranged.  On  the  day  of 
the  battle,  the  rebels  having  no  land  force,  the 
savages  took  post  on  the  mainland  and  on 
Valcour  Island.  Thus  being  upon  both  flanks 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  99 

they  were  able  to  annoy  them  in  the  working 
of  their  guns.  This  had  the  effect  of  now  and 
then  obliging  the  rebels  to  turn  a  gun  that 
way,  which  clanger  the  savages  avoided  by 
getting  behind  trees." 

And  as  for  the  result  of  the  day's  work,  the 
quaint  words  of  Arnold  himself  shall  tell  it  : 

"At  half  past  12  the  engagement  became 
general  and  very  warm.  Some  of  the  enemy's 
ships  and  all  their  gondolas  beat  and  rowed 
up  within  musket  shot  of  us.  They  continued 
a  very  hot  fire  with  round  and  grapeshot 
until  5  o'clock  when  they  thought  proper  to 
retire  to  about  six  or  seven  hundred  yards 
distance,  and  continued  the  fire  till  dark." 

The  fleet  of  the  enemy,  though  manned  by 
picked  men — by  men  known  not  only  for  their 
bravery,  but  for  their  skill  in  handling  the 
guns — was  obliged  to  draw  off  to  get  beyond 
the  range  of  the  smaller  guns  on  the  Ameri 
can  fleet. 

The  Congress,  Arnold's  flagship,  was  hulled 
by  the  British  round  shot  no  less  than  twelve 
times  during  the  afternoon,  and  seven  of  these 
projectiles  passed  through  her  at  the  water- 
line.  But  the  crew,  farmers  though  they 
were,  plugged  her  up  and  fought  on  as  before. 
General  Waterbury,  who  was  on  the  Wash 
ington,  fought  her  until  he  was  the  only  offi 
cer  left  on  deck — her  captain,  lieutenant,  and 


ioo  THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

master  having  all  been  killed.  The  Wash 
ington,  like  the  Congress,  was  full  of  holes 
when  the  fight  ended.  The  Philadelphia, 
Captain  Grant,  sank  within  an  hour  after 
firing  ceased. 

On  the  whole,  the  American  loss  for  the 
day  was  reported  at  "about  sixty,"  while  that 
of  the  British  was  less  than  forty.  Two  of 
the  British  gunboats  were  sunk  and  one  was 
blown  up. 

The  Americans  had  checked  the  enemy  in 
his  advance  along  the  lake,  and  had  damaged 
him  materially,  but  they  had  suffered  more 
than  he  had,  and,  what  was  worse,  had  used  up 
nearly  all  their  ammunition.  "  Being  sensible 
that  with  his  inferior  and  crippled  force  all 
resistance  would  be  unavailing"  on  the  mor 
row  if  they  remained  where  they  were,  Arnold 
determined  to  slip  away  to  the  shelter  of  the 
American  post  either  at  Crown  Point  or  at 
Ticonderoga. 

The  night  came  on  dark  and  stormy  and 
with  a  northerly  gale  driving  over  the  lake. 
So  the  fleet  up  anchor,  and  "  one  following  a 
[shaded]  light  on  the  stern  of  the  other,"  they 
slipped  through  the  enemy's  line  that  lay 
across  the  south  end  of  the  channel,  with 
Arnold  on  the  Congress  bringing  up  the  rear, 
because  that  was  the  post  of  danger,  and  at 
daylight  on  the  morning  of  Thursday,  October 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  103 

1 2th,  they  were  ten  miles  away  and  under  the 
lee  of  Schuyler  Island. 

At  this  point  the  fleet  came  to  anchor  and 
began  to  make  such  repairs  as  were  possible. 
Two  gondolas  were  sunk  because  they  were 
past  remedy,  and  when  the  patching  of  the 
rest  had  been  carried  far  enough  to  enable 
them  to  float  without  too  much  pumping, 
the  fleet  started  on.  Meantime,  however, 
the  wind  shifted  to  the  south,  and  the  prog 
ress,  depending  on  the  oars,  was  necessarily 
slow. 

But,  although  the  wind  retarded  the  Ameri 
can  fleet,  it  had  retarded  the  British  as  much, 
if  not  more.  The  British  had  discovered  that 
the  Americans  were  gone  as  soon  as  daylight 
came  on  Thursday  morning,  but  so  slow  was 
the  progress  of  the  square-rigged  Inflexible 
against  the  head-wind  that  it  was  not  until 
Friday  that  the  British  were  able  to  overtake 
the  Americans. 

The  Americans  were  at  this  time  just  south 
of  the  narrow  water  at  Split  Rock.  Arnold, 
with  the  Congress  and  the  Washington  and 
four  smaller  (three-gun)  boats,  was  guarding 
the  rear,  and  until  noon  there  was  an  anxious 
race  to  escape  to  the  shelter  of  Crown  Point — 
anxious  because  the  choice  of  the  British  fleet 
—the  uninjured  Inflexible,  with  the  schooners 
Carleton  and  Maria — were  in  the  van  of  the 


104  THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY 

chase,  and  Arnold's  rowboatswere  together  no 
match  for  the  least  of  these. 

But  at  noon,  while  yet  some  leagues  from 
Crown  Point,  the  tired  crews  of  the  flying 
boats  had  to  drop  their  sweeps  and  take  to  the 
guns,  for  the  British  ships  were  upon  them. 
The  wind  had  shifted  to  the  north  once  more, 
and  the  British  vessels,  of  course,  got  it 
first. 

No  more  desperate  conflict  is  recorded  in 
naval  annals  than  that  of  Arnold  that  day. 

At  the  first  broadside  of  the  enemy  the  shat 
tered  Washington  was  so  injured  that  surren 
der  was  unavoidable.  Nevertheless  Arnold 
ranged  up  within  musket-shot  of  the  big 
Inflexible  and  continued  to  fight  while  the 
farmer  crews  of  the  four  gondolas  stood  to 
their  guns  and  faced  the  storm  of  shot  and 
grape  from  the  twelve-gun  and  fourteen-gun 
schooners — faced  the  storm  unflinchingly  until 
one-third  of  Arnold's  crew  had  been  killed, 
his  boat  reduced  to  a  wreck,  and  resistance 
could  no  longer  damage  the  enemy. 

But,  though  beaten,  the  indomitable  Ameri 
cans  were  not  conquered.  They  would  never 
give  up  the  ships.  By  Arnold's  order  the  small 
galleys  were  run  ashore  in  a  creek  near  by  and 
there  fired,  Arnold,  in  the  Congress,  covering 
their  retreat  until  their  crews  were  safe  on 
shore,  when  he  ran  the  Congress  ashore  also, 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  105 

and  then  stood  guard  while  his  crew  fired  her, 

o 

"remaining  on  board  of  her  until  she  was  in 
flames,  lest  the  enemy  should  get  possession 
and  strike  his  flag,  which  was  kept  flying  to 
the  last." 

When  the  Congress  was  so  well  on  fire  that 
she  could  not  be  saved,  Arnold  himself  leaped 
overboard,  wacled  ashore,  formed  his  men  in 
an  orderly  line,  and  marched  away  over  a 
woodsy  trail.  He  escaped  the  savages  that 
were  sent  ashore  seeking  scalps,  and  safely 
reached  Crown  Point. 

The  best  all-around  fighter  under  George 
Washington  was  Benedict  Arnold.  As  a 
leader  in  actual  combat  he  was  simply  un 
equalled.  Words  cannot  now  be  found  to 
adequately  express  the  pity  of  it  when  it  is 
remembered  that  injustice  and  disappointment 
at  the  last  drove  him  mad. 

Although  this  fight  on  Lake  Champlain 
was  ordered  on  the  American  side  by  an  army 
officer,  and  the  crews  were  chiefly  landsmen, 
it  was  unquestionably  an  exhibit  of  the  early 
sea  power  of  the  United  States,  for  the  ships 
were  built  at  the  national  expense  and  the 
crews  were  in  the  national  service. 

Of  the  results  of  the  fight  a  few  words  must 
be  written,  because  their  value  to  the  Ameri 
cans  was  well-nigh  inestimable  under  the  cir 
cumstances.  The  American  fleet  had  fought 


COPY  of  a  LETTER  from  General  5/V  GUY  CARLETON 
tt  Lord  GEORGE  GERMAIN,  Principal  Secretary  of  State  - 
tbt  American  Department, 

On  board  the  Maria  off  Crown-Point, 

Oftobtr  14,  1776. 
My  Lord, 

THE  rebel  flert  upon  Lake  Champlain  has  been  entirely  de- 
feated  in  two  actions  ;  the  firft  on  the  nth  inft.mt,  between 
*he  ifland  of  Valcourt  and  the  main  •,  and  the  fecond  on  the  I 
within  a  few  leagues  of  Crown-Point. 

We  hare  taken  Mr.  Waterburg,  the  fecond  In  command,  one 
of  their  brigadier-generals,  with  two  of  their  vefiels,  and  ten  others 
have  been  burnt  and  deftroyed  ;  only  three  of  fifteen  fail,  a  lift  of 
which  I  tranfmit,  having  efcaped.  For  further  particulars  I  refer 
your  Lordfhip  to  Lieutenant  Dacres,  who  will  be  the  bearer  of 
this  letter,  and  had  a  Jhare  in  both  actions,  particularly  the  firft, 
where  his  gallant  behaviour  in  the  Carleton  fchooner^  which  he 
commanded,  diftinguifhed  him  fo  much  as  to  merit  great  commen 
dation  :  and  I  beg  to  recommend  him  to  your  LorcKhip's  notice 
and  favour  :  at  the  fame  lime  I  cannot  omit  talcing  notice  to  your 
Lordihip  of  the  good  fervice  done,  in  .»u.e  firft  a«ition,  by  the  fpi- 
rited  conducl  oF  a  number  of  officers  and  men  of  the  corps  of 
artillery,  who  ferved  the  gun-boats,  which,  together  with  the 
Carleton,  fuftained  for  many  hours  the  whole  fire  of  the  enemy's 
fleet,  the  reft  of  our  vefiels  not  being  able  to  work  up  near  enough 
to  join  effectually  in  the  engagement. 

The  rebels,  upon  the  news  reaching  them  of  the  defeat  of  their 
naval  force,  fet  fire  to  all  the  buildings  and  houfes  in  and  Hear 
Crown-Point,  and  retired  to  Ticonderoga. 

The  feafon  is  fo  far  advanced,  that  I  cannot  yet  pretend  to 
inform  your  Lordfhip  whether  any  thing  farther  can  be  done  this 
year. 

I  am,  &c. 

GUY  CARLETON. 

Lift  of  thi  Releh  Vejjtls  on  Lake  Champlain,  before  thitr  Defeat. 

5  f  Royal  Savage,  8  fix-pounders  and  4  four-pounders Went 

|  •<     on  (hore,  was  fet  fire  to,  and  blown  up. 
^(Revenge,  4  fix-pounders  and  4  four-pounders — —Efcaped. 
A  floop,  10  four- pounders  —  —Efcaped* 

.j?  £"Congrefs,  2  eighteen-pounders  in  the  bow,  2  twelve  and 
^  \  2  two-pounders  in  ftern,  and  6  fix-pounders  in  the  fides — 
<?  <  Blew  up. 

|  )  Wafhington,  (ame  force Taken. 

fcJ  -Trumble,  ditto Efcaped. 

The.  Lee,  a  cutter,  I  nine-pounder  in  the  bow,  I  twelve-pounder 

in  the  ftern,  and  4  fix-pounders  in  tides Run  into  a  bay, 

and  not  known  whether  deftroyed. 

Bofton,  i  eighteen- pounder  in  the  bow,  2  twelve-pounders 
in  fides  ——Sunk. 

Jerfey,  ditto Taken. 

One,  name  unknown,  fame  force— —Run  on  fliorc.  ' 

Five  ditto,  ditto Blown  up.  i 

Other  VeJJels  not  in  the  /ffihn. 

A  fchooner,  8  four-pounders— Sent  from  their  fteet  for  provifions.     ! 
A  g*llcy,  faid  to  be  of  greater  force  than  thofe  mentioned  above  | 
fritting  out  at  Ticonderoga. 

G.  C. 


Facsimile  of  a  copy  of  the  original 


Defcriptlon    of    the    Eng 

COPY  »f  a  LETTER  fnm  Captain  DOUGLAS,  of  tht  Iftt, 
to  Mr.  STEPHENS,  Secretary  fa  tht  Admiralty. 


2tJlOflobert   1776. 

HAVING  for  thc/pace  of  fix  weeks  attended  the  naval  equip- 
mem  for  the  important  expedition  on  Lake  Champlain,  I  on 
the  4th  inftant  faw,  with  unfpeakable  joy,  the  re-conftruded  fhip, 
now  called  the  Inflexible,  and  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Schank, 
her  rebuilder,  fail  from  St.  Johns,  twenty-  eight  -<jays  after  her 
keel  was  laid,  towards  the  place  of  rendezvous  ;  taking  in  hefi 
18  twelve,  pounders  beyond  the  fhoal  which  is  on  this  fide  the  Ifle 
aux  Noix,  in  her  way  up. 

The  prodigies  of  labour  which  have  b'ecn  effected  firtce  the  re 
bels  were  driven  out  of  Canada,  in  "creating,  re-creating,  and 
equipping  a  fleet  of  above  thirty  fighting  vcflels  of  different  forts 
and  fizes,  and  all  carrying  cannon,  fince  the  beginning  of  July, 
together  with  the  tranfporting  over  land,  and  afterwards  dragging 
up  the  two  rapids  of  St.  Terefe  and  St.  John's,  thirty  long-boats, 
the  flat-  bottomed  boats,  a  gondola  weighing  about  thirty  tons,  and 
above-  four  hundred  batteaus,  almoft  exceed  belief.  His  Excel 
lency  the  Commander  in  Chief  of  the  army,  and  all  the  other 
generals,  are  of  the  opinion,  that  the  failors  of  his  Majefty's  (hips 
and  tranfports  have  (far  beyond  the  ufual  limits  of  their  duty)  ex 
erted  themfelves  to  the  utmoft  on  this  great  and  toilfome  occafion  ; 
nor  has  a  man  of  that  profeflion  uttered  a  Tingle  word  exprefllve  of 
difcontent,  am  id  ft  all  the  hardships  they  have  undergone,  fo  truly 
patriotic  are  the  motives  by  which  they  are  actuated,—  To  crown 
the  whole,  above  two  hundred  prime  feamen  of  the  tranfports,  im 
pelled  by  a  due  fenfe  of  their  country's  wrongs,  did  moft  gene- 
roufly  engage  themfelves  to  fetve  in  our  armed  veflels  during  the 
expedition,  and  embarked  accordingly.  Such  having  then  been 
our  unremitting  toils,  I  am  happy  beyond  expreflion  in  hereby  ac 
quainting  my  Lords  Commiffioners  of  the  Admiralty,  that  the  de- 
ftruclion  of  almoft  the  whole  of  the  rebel  fleet,  m  two  (everal 
.battles  on  the  eleventh  and  thirteenth  inftant,  is  our  reward.  1 
have  recived  a  letter  from  Captain  Priugle,  of  the  Lord  Howe  armed 
ihip,  who  commands-the  officers  and  feamen  on  the  Lake,  and  who 
beftows  the  higheft  encomiums  on  their  behaviour  in  both  engage 
ments.  The  rebels  did  by  no  means  believe  it  poflible  for  us  to 
get  upon  Lake  Champlain  this  year  ;  were  much  furprized  at  the 
hrft  fight  of  the  van  of  our  force  ;  but  ran  into  immediate  and 
utter  confufion  the  moment  a  three  -mafted  fhip  made  her  ap 
pearance,  being  a  phcenomenon  they  never  fo  much  as  dreamt  6f. 
Thus  have  his  Majefty's  faithful"  fubjedts  here,  (contrary  to  a  crude 
but  prevailing  id«a  )  by  draining  every  nerve  in  their  country's 
caufe,  out-done  them  in  working  as  much  as  in  fighting.  The 
fhip  Inflexible,  with  the  Maria  and  Carleton  fchooners,  all  re- 
conftru&ions,  did  the  whole  of  ths  fecond  day  s  bufinefs,  the  flat- 
bottomed  radcau  called  the  Thunderer,  and  the  gondola  called  the 
Loyal  Convert,  with  the  gun-boats,  not  having  teen  able  to  keep 
up  with  them.  The  faid  gondola  was  taken  from  the  rebels  the 
day  the  fiege  of  Quebec  was  raifed  —  The  lofs  we  have  fuftained, 
•confidering  the  great  fuperiority  of  the  infurgems,  is  very  fmall, 
confifthig  of  between  thirty  and  forty  men  killed  and  wounded, 
feamen,  foldiers,  artiUery-men,  and"  all  ;  eight  whereof  were  killed 
outright,  and  fix  wounded,  on-  board  of  the  Carleton.—  As  to  far 
ther  particulars,  I  muft  refer  you  to  Lieutenant  Dacres,  who,  in 
juftice  due  to  his  merit,  for  the  part  he  bore  in  destroying  the  rebel 
fleet,  I  am  happy  in  fending  upon  this  oecafion  to  their  Lordfhips 
in  the  Stag  tranfport,  as  allb  in  thereby  complying  with  the  Ge 
neral's  defire,  who,  for  the  fame  reafon,  is  pleafed  to  honour  him 
with  the  conveyance  of  his  difpatches. 

Printed  for  R.  SAYER   and  J.  BENNETT,  Map,  Chart,  a) 
broadside  at  the  Lenox  Library. 


agement    on    Lake  CHAMPL 

A  Lijl  cf  his  Majefy's  Natial  Force  on  Lake  Champlaih. 

Ship  Inflexible,  Lieutenant  Schank,   18  twelve-pounders. 
Schooner  Maria,  Lieutenant  Starke,   14  fix-pounders. 
Schooner  Carleton,  Lieutenant  Dacres,   12  fix-pounders. 
Radeau  Thunderer,   Lieutenant  Scott>    6  twenty-four,   6  twelve- 

pounders  ;  2  howitzers. 

Gondola  Loyal  Convert,  Lieutenant  Longcroft,  7  nine-pounders. 
Twenty  gun-boats,  each  a  brafs  field-piece,  •  fome  twenty-fours  to 

nines,  Come  with  howitzers. 
Four  long  -  boats,  with  each  a  carriage  -  gun,  ferving  as  armed 

tenders. 
Twenty-four  long-boats  with  provifions. 

A  Lift  of  the  Seamert  detached  -from  Ih  Majf/l/f  Ships  and  Veffth  in\ 
the  River  St.  Lawrence,  toferve  on  Lake  Champlain. 

Seamen, 
Ifis        -        -          joo' 


Blonde       - 

70 

Triton 

60 

Garland 

3° 

Canceaux 

40 

Magdalen  1 
Brunfwick  > 

18 

Gafpee       J 

Treafury          1 
arm'd  Briggs  J 

90 

Fell         -             - 

30  1    Province 

Lately  wreck'd  Charlotte 
Voluntiers     1 

9  J  armed  Vejjeh 

from  no  fhip  J 

9 

Do.  from  the  1 

Tranfports  J 

214, 

Total  670 
Exclujive  of  8  officers^  and  19  petty  ojfictrj. 


COPY  of  a  LETTER  from  Captain  THOMAS  PRINGLE. 

On  board  the  Msria,  off"  Crown-Pointy 
the  i$th  of  Oflober,   1776. 

IT  is  with  the  grcatefr.  pleafure  that  I  embrace  this  opportunity 
of  congratulating  their  Lordfhips  upon  the  viclory  compleatcd 
the  1 3th  oT  this  month,  by  his  Majefty's  fleet  under  my  command, 
upon  Lake  Champlain. 

Upon  the  i  nh  I  came  up  with  the-  rebel  fleet  commanded  by 
Benedict  Arnold  :  they  were  at  anchor  nrjder  the  i/land  of  Vali-- 
cour,  and  formed  a  ftrong  line,  extending  from  the  ifland  to  the 
Weft  fide  of  the  continent.  The  wind  was  fo  unfavourable,  that 
for  a  confiderable  time  nothing  could  be  brought  into  a<3ion  with 
them  but  the  gun-boats  ;  the  Carleton  fchooner,  commanded  by 
•Mr.  Dacres,  fwho  brings  their  Lordfhips  this,)  by  much  perfeve- 
rance  at  laft  got  to  their  afliftance;  but  as  none  of  the  other  veflels 
of  the  fleet  could  then  get  up,  I  did  not  think  it  by  any  means  ad- 
vifeable  to  continue  fb  partial  and  unequal  a  combat;  confequently, 
with  the  approbation  of  his  Excellency  General  Carleton,  who  did) 

Print  SelUrs,  No.  53,  FLEE.T  -  STK»ST>       Price  ONE 


AIN. 

the  honor  of  being  on  board  the  Maria,  I  called  off  the 
Carleton  and  gun-boats,  and  brought  the  whole  fleet  to  anchor  in 
a  line  as  near  as  poflible  to  ;he  rebels,  that  their  retreat  might  be 
cut  off;  which  purpofe  was,  however,  fruflrated  by  the  extreme 
obfcurity  of  the  night ;  and  in  the  morning  the  rebels  had  got  a. 
confiderable  diftance  from  us  up  the  Lake. 

Upon  the  1 3th  I  again  faw  eleven  fail  of  their  fleet  making 
off  to  Crown-Point,  who,  after  a  chace  of  feven  hours,  I  came  up 
with  in  the  Maria,- having  the  Carleton  and  Inflexible  a  fmall 
diftance  a-ftern  ;  the  reft  of  the  fleet  almoft  out  of  fight.  The 
action  began  at  twdve  o'clock,  and.lafled  two  hours;  at  which, 
time  Arnold,  in  the  Congrcfs  galley,  and  five  gondolas,  ran  on 
fhore,  and  were  directly  abandoned  and  blown  up  by  the  enemy;  a/ 
circumftance  they  were  greatly  favoured  in,  by  the  wind  being  off 
(hore,  and  the  narrownefs  of  the  Lake.  The  Walhington  galley 
(truck  during  the  action,  and  the  reft  made  their  efcape  to  Ticon- 
deroga. 

The  killed  and' wounded  in  his'  Majefty's  fleet,  including  the 
artillery  in  the  gun-boats,  do  not  amount  to  forty;  but,  from  every 
information  I  have  yet  got,  the  lofs  of  the  enemy  muft  indeed 
be  very  confiderable. 

Many  particulars  which  their  Lordfhips  may  wifli  to  know,  I 
muft,  at  prefent,  take  the  liberty  of  referring  you  to  Mr.  Dacres 
for  ;  but  as  1  am  well  convinced  his  modefty  will  not  permit  him 
to  fay  how  great  a  time  he  ha.d  in  this  victory,  give  me  leave  to 
afTure  you,  that  during  both  actions  nothing  could  be  more  pointedly 
good  than  his  conduct.  1  muft  alfo  do  the  juftice  the  officers  and 
feamen  of  this  fleet  merit,  by  faying  that  every  perfon  under  my 
command  exerted  themfelves  to  aft  up  to  the  character  of  BrUifll 
feamen. 


A  clrcutn/iantlal  and  authentic  Account  of  the  ROADS  and  Dls.TANC.19 
from  NEW-YORK  to  CROWN-POINT. 

Miles. 

From  New- York  to'King's-Bridge  15 

King's  Bridge  to  Conklin's  22 

Conklin's  to  Croton's  Rive;  12 

Croton's  River  to  Peekfkill       -  1O 

Peekfkill  to  Rogers  in  Highlands  9 

Rogers  in  Highlands  to  FUhflulll  1 1 

Fffliflcills  to  Poughkeepfle          -  14- 

Poughkeepfie  to  Staatfborough  1 1 

Suatfborough  to  Rhynbeck         -  6 

Rhynbeck  to  Ryer  Shermerhorns'  IO 
Ryer  Shermerhorns  to  Rininfton's 

Manor              -  '4» 

Rininfton's  Manor  to  Claverack  7 

Claverack  to  Kenderhook         -  14. 

Kenderhook  to  Halfway-houfe  IO 

Halfway-houfe  to  Albany-      -  10 

Albany  to  Saratoga                -  36 

Saratoga  to  Fort  Edward    -    -  20 

Fort  Edward  to  Lake  George  14 

Lake  George  to  Ticonderoga  30 

Ticonderoga.  to  Crown  Point  15 

la  all  290 


no  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

to  the  last  gasp.  It  was  well-nigh  extermi 
nated,  but  it  had  not  suffered  in  vain.  It 
taught  the  British  that  the  Americans  were 
not  only  willing,  but  they  were  able  fighters. 
In  spite  of  the  tremendous  odds  against  them, 
at  the  last  they  had  proved  themselves  as  un 
yielding  as  the  rocks  that  echoed  back  the  roar 
of  the  conflict.  Their  stubborn  wills  bade  the 
ambitious  Carleton  pause  and  consider.  If, 
with  a  shattered  hulk,  they  had  kept  the  three 
best  British  vessels  on  the  lake  at  bay  until 
the  gondolas  were  aground  and  on  fire,  and  if 
they  were  then  still  able  to  make  such  a  mur 
derous  fight  as  enabled  them  to  fire  and  burn 
the  last  ship  with  its  flag  flying  till  burned 
away,  what  would  they  not  do  in  resisting  the 
British  were  an  attack  made  on  Ticonderoga  ? 
The  thought  was  cooling  to  the  ardor  of 
even  Carleton.  Worse  yet,  should  he  succeed 
in  taking  Ticonderoga,  these  unyielding  Yan 
kees  would  contest  every  rod  of  the  long  wil 
derness  route  with  a  skill  that  excelled  that  of 
Carleton's  best  men.  And  that  settled  the 
question  that  had  arisen  in  Carleton's  mind— 
the  question  of  the  advisability  of  continuing 
on  his  course.  As  a  most  excellent  account  of 
this  fight,  which  appeared  in  Dodsley's  (Lon 
don)  "  Annual  Register  "  says,  "  the  strength  of 
the  works,  the  difficulty  of  approach,  the  coun 
tenance  of  the  enemy,  and  the  ignorance  of 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR   NAVY  in 

their  number,  with  other  cogent  reason,   pre 
vented  this  design  from  taking  place." 

Having  looked  upon  "the  countenance  of 
the  enemy,"  Sir  Guy  Carleton  changed  his 
mind.  He  decided  to  return  to  Canada.  The 
most  glorious  defeat  in  the  annals  of  the 
American  navy  had  saved  the  nation  from  an 
invasion  that  would  have  severed  it  in  twain, 
and  probably  whelmed  its  forces  in  utter 
defeat. 


CHAPTER    V 

UNDER  THE  CRAGS  OF   THE    "TIGHT   LITTLE   ISLE" 

THE  SAUCY  YANKEE  CRUISERS  IN  BRITISH  WATERS  —  WHEN 
FRANKLIN  SAILED  FOR  FRANCE — WICKES  IN  THE  REPRISAL 
ON  THE  IRISH  COAST — NARROW  ESCAPE  FROM  A  LINER — A 
PLUCKY  ENGLISH  LIEUTENANT — HARSH  FATE  OF  THE  AMERI 
CANS  IN  THE  BRITISH  PRISON — STARVED  BY  ACT  OF  PARLIAMENT 
— DEEDS  OF  THE  GALLANT  CONNYNGHAM — WELL-NAMED  CRUIS 
ERS — A  SURPRISE  AT  A  BREAKFAST  TABLE — TAKING  PRIZES 
DAILY — WHY  FORTY  FRENCH  SHIPS  LOADED  IN  THE  THAMES  — 
INSURANCE  RATES  NEVER  BEFORE  KNOWN. 

SIGNAL  as  has  been  the  value  of  the  services 
of  the  little  vessels  of  the  infant  navy  of  the 
United  States  in  their  operations  along  the 
American  coast  and  upon  the  woodsy  waters 
of  the  highway  from  the  north  during  the  year 
of  the  nation's  birth,  the  American  sailors  had 
really  only  just  begun  to  fight,  and  it  was  not 
until  they  carried  the  fight  into  the  very  har 
bors  of  Great  Britain  that  they  taught  the 
British  merchants,  who  had  been  supporting 
the  British  ministry  in  its  oppression  of  the 
colonies,  a  lesson  they  were  slow  to  learn. 
For  the  British  merchants  had  looked  upon 
the  war  in  America  as  a  blessing  upon  their 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  113 

business  interests.  It  would  be  somewhat  ex 
pensive  in  the  way  of  taxation,  but  it  would 
ruin  their  competitors,  the  enterprising  colo 
nists.  It  is  in  the  spirit  of  trade  and  trades 
men  of  all  classes  to  view  with  complacency 
the  little  expenses  that  ruin  competitors.  But 
some  of  the  British  merchants  who  rubbed 
their  hands  and  smiled  with  satisfaction  as 
they  heard  of  the  retreat  of  Washington  across 
New  Jersey  in  1776,  were  to  wring  them  in 
distress  because  of  wounds  in  their  pockets 
before  the  end'of  1777 — because  of  ships  that 
were  snatched  away  from  under  the  very  crags 
of  what  they  were  pleased  to  term  their  "  tight 
little  isle." 

"In  the  meantime  the  irruption  of  the  Phoe 
nix  and  the  Rose  into  the  waters  of  the  Hud 
son  had  roused  a  belligerent  spirit  along  its 
borders."  These  were  the  first  British  war 
ships  to  sail  up  the  Hudson  in  the  Revolu 
tionary  war,  and  their  advent  was  in  July, 
1776.  The  Americans  had  no  ships  to  send 
against  them,  and  they  commonly  remained  at 
anchor  out  of  reach  of  shore  batteries.  It  was 
because  of  their  presence  that  it  was  proposed 
to  stretch  an  iron  chain  across  the  river  at 
Anthony's  Nose.  Other  obstructions  were 
prepared,  but  the  only  thing  done  in  the  way 
of  going  afloat  to  attack  them  was  when  some 
rafts  were  brought  down  the  river  chained 


U4  THE   HISTORY   OF    OUR   NAVY 

between  a  couple  of  old  sloop  hulls,  the  whole 
of  which  were  covered  with  dry  fat,  pine,  tar, 
turpentine,  etc.  These  were  fired  and  let 
drift  with  the  tide,  but  as  a  substitute  for  the 
modern  torpedoes  they  were  not  successful. 

The  war  was,  indeed,  carried  across  the 
stormy  Atlantic  in  the  autumn  of  1776,  though 
only  a  small  beginning  was  made  that  year. 
To  Capt.  Lambert  Wickes  was  given  the 
honor  of  commanding  the  first  American  naval 
ship  to  cross  the  Atlantic.  Captain  Wickes, 
while  in  command  of  the  sixteen-gun  brig 
Reprisal,  had,  as  already  told,  made  such  a 
good  fight  when  attacked  by  the  British  sloop- 
of-war  Shark  off  Martinique  that  he  beat  her 
off  and  escaped.  For  this  he  was  chosen  to 
carry  Franklin,  who  had  been  appointed  Ameri 
can  commissioner  to  France,  across  to  Nantes. 

Not  only  did  Wickes  carry  his  passenger 
safely  into  port ;  he  captured  two  prizes  on 
the  way  and  sent  them  into  port  also.  And 
then,  after  refitting  in  Nantes,  he  went  on  a 
cruise  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  where  he  captured 
two  more  prizes,  of  which  one  was  the  king's 
mail  packet  plying  between  Falmouth  and 
Lisbon,  it  being  the  custom  in  those  days  for 
the  British  government  to  employ  swift  brigs 
of  the  navy  on  the  regular  mail  routes. 

France  and  England  were  at  peace  at  that 
time,  but  by  carrying  the  prizes  out  to  sea, 


THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY  117 

after  they  had  been  successfully  brought  to 
port,  they  were  readily  sold  to  French  mer 
chants,  and  the  money  was  placed  in  the  hands 
of  Franklin  and  the  other  American  commis 
sioner,  Silas  Deane. 

What  with  the  enthusiasm  that  arose  when 
he  saw  two  prizes  taken  under  his  own  eyes, 
and  the  satisfaction  arising  from  having  his 

o  o 

scanty  means  augmented  by  the  price  of  the 
prizes,  Franklin  joined  heartily  with  the  other 
commissioners  in  urging  upon  the  Congress 
the  advisability  of  keeping  a  naval  force  on 
the  European  side  of  the  water,  with  French 
ports  as  a  base  of  action.  "  We  have  not  the 
least  doubt  but  that  two  or  three  of  the  Con 
tinental  frigates  sent  into  the  German  Ocean, 
with  some  less  swift-sailing  cruisers,  might  in 
tercept  and  seize  a  great  part  of  the  Baltic  and 
northern  trade."  So  wrote  Franklin. 

The  Congress  had  been  building  some  frig 
ates,  but  instead  of  sending  one  of  .them  the 
brig  Lexington,  armed  with  sixteen  long  four- 
pounders  (a  brig  of  which  something  was  told 
in  a  former  chapter),  was  sent  across,  under 
command  of  Capt.  Henry  Johnson.  Mean 
time  the  American  commissioners  purchased 
a  ten-gun  cutter  called  the  Dolphin,  which  they 
placed  under  the  command  of  Lieut.  Samuel 
Nicholson,  who  afterwards  died  at  the  head 
of  the  American  navy. 


n8  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

The  Lexington  arrived  out  in  April,  1777. 
In  June  this  fleet  of  two  small  brigs  and  one 
"  single-sticker "  sailed  out  of  Nantes,  under 
command  of  Captain  Wickes,  to  prey  upon 
British  commerce. 

It  had  been  the  boast  of  the  British  sailor, 
and  it  was  still  his  boast,  that 

"Not  a  sail  but  by  permission  spreads." 

He  sang  his  boast  over  his  grog  ;  but  he  was 
mistaken.  Captain  Wickes,  after  a  brief  cruise 
in  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  sailed  north  to  intercept 
a  fleet  loaded  with  linen  on  the  Irish  coast. 
He  missed  the  linen  ships,  but  he  sailed  twice 
around  Ireland,  and  captured  fifteen  prizes, 
which  were  sent  into  port. 

On  coming  back  to  the  French  coast  the 
little  fleet  fell  in  with  a  British  ship  of  the  line 
—a  big  three-decker — that  at  once  gave  chase. 
The  three  Americans  separated,  and  the  Eng 
lishman  followed  the  flagship  Reprisal. 

That  was  a  close  call  for  the  Reprisal.  Her 
crew  at  the  last  felt  so  hard  pressed  that  they 
threw  their  guns  overboard  to  lighten  her,  and 
"  sawed  her  bulwarks  and  even  cut  away  some 
of  her  timbers  ;  expedients  that  were  much  in 
favor  among  the  seamen  of  the  day."  She 
arrived  safely  at  the  last,  but  the  sawing  of 
her  timbers  was  a  mortal  wound,  as  will  ap 
pear  further  on. 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  119 

Not  in  years  had  the  British  commerce  re- 
ceiyed  such  a  blow,  although  this  was  only  a 
trifle  to  what  followed.  A  storm  was  raised 
in  France  by  the  British  agents.  The  two 
countries  were  nominally  at  peace,  and  the 
French  king  was  not  yet  ready  for  war.  So 
the  Reprisal  and  the  Lexington  were  ordered 
to  leave  France,"  while  the  prizes  were  ordered 
to  leave  port." 

As  to  the  prizes,  they  were  taken  out  of  port 
and  sold  as  others  had  been  sold.  The  Re 
prisal  sailed  for  America,  but  in  a  storm  off 
the  banks  of  Newfoundland  she  foundered,  no 
doubt  because  her  frames  had  been  weakened 
by  the  sawing  when  she  was  fleeing  before  the 
British  ship  of  the  line.  One  man,  the  cook, 
was  picked  from  the  wreckage  by  a  passing 
vessel. 

The  Lexington  was  captured  on  September 
20,  1/77.  She  had  refitted  at  Morlaix,  whither 
she  had  gone  when  chased  by  the  line-of-bat- 
tle  ship.  When  ordered  to  sail  she  had  not  a 
full  supply  of  powder  on  board,  but  was,  never 
theless,  forced  to  go.  She  sailed  on  Septem 
ber  1 8th,  and  when  two  days  outside  of  the  port 
she  fell  in  with  the  man-of-war  cutter  Alert, 
commanded  by  Lieutenant  Bazely,  and  Bazely 
was  one  of  the  fighters  of  whom  British  sea 
men  have  a  right  to  be  proud.  His  cutter  was 
smaller  than  the  Lexington,  and  she  had  but 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  121 

ten  cannon  to  the  Lexington  s  sixteen.  The 
wind  was  strong  and  the  sea  was  rough  for 
such  light  vessels,  but  Bazely  forced  a  fight, 
and  for  two  hours  and  a  half  held  his  own. 
At  the  end  of  that  time,  however,  his  rigging 
had  been  so  badly  hurt  that  he  had  to  stop 
fighting  and  make  repairs.  Seeing  this,  the 
Lexington,  having  expended  all  but  a  trifle  of 
her  ammunition,  made  sail  for  home,  and  she 
would  have  got  away  had  any  one  but  the 
plucky  Bazely  commanded  the  Alert.  Bazely 
made  repairs,  overhauled  the  Lexington,  and 
again  opened  fire.  The  Lexington  held  on 
her  course  for  an  hour  without  being  able  to 
reply,  and  in  the  hope  that  the  wind  would 
carry  away  some  of  the  cutter's  sails.  But  the 
cutter  was  well  found,  and  the  Lexington  was 
carried  into  Plymouth.  .  Lieutenant  Bazely 
lived  to  become  an  admiral,  and  there  is  no 
doubt  he  earned  his  promotion. 

The  fate  of  the  Lexingtons  crew,  because 
like  that  of  every  American  cruiser  of  those 
days,  shall  be  told  somewhat  in  detail.  They 
were  thrown  into  jail  without  trial  on  a  charge 
of  high  treason,  and  there  they  were  deliber 
ately  starved.  On  one  occasion  they  were 
glad  to  kill  and  eat  a  dog  that  strayed  into 
their  yard.  The  conduct  of  the  prison  offi 
cials  in  their  bearing  toward  the  prisoners 
was  insufferably  brutal. 


122  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

Because  the  assertion  that  the  prisoners 
were  deliberately  starved  may  seem  to  some 
readers  an  exaggeration,  the  proof  of  the 
statement  shall  be  given  from  an  English 
source.  It  may  be  found  on  page  152  of  the 
"Annual  Register  for  the  Year  1781,"  pub 
lished  by  G.  Robinson,  Paternoster  Row, 
London.  In  reporting  the  proceedings  of 
Parliament  for  June  2Oth  of  that  year  it 
says  : 

"  A  petition  was  presented  to  the  house  by 
Mr.  Fox  from  the  American  prisoners  in  Mill 
Prison,  Plymouth,  setting  forth  that  they  were 
treated  with  less  humanity  than  the  French 
and  Spaniards  ;  that  they  had  not  a  sufficient 
allowance  of  bread,  and  were  very  scantily 
furnished  with  clothing.  A  similar  petition 
was  presented  to  the  house  of  peers  by  the 
Duke  of  Richmond.  It  appeared  upon  in 
quiry  that  the  American  prisoners  were  al 
lowed  half  a  pound  of  bread  less  per  day  than 
French  or  Spanish  prisoners.  Several  mo 
tions  were  grounded  on  these  petitions,  but 
those  proposed  by  the  lords  and  gentlemen  of 
the  opposition  were  determined  in  the  nega 
tive,  and  others  to  exculpate  the  government 
in  this  business  were  resolved  in  the  affirma 
tive." 

Neither  the  French  nor  the  Spanish  were 
fully  fed,  but  by  the  deliberate  vote  of  Parlia- 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  123 

ment  the  Americans  received  half  a  pound  of 
bread  less  per  man  each  day  than  did  the 
French  and  Spanish. 

At  one  time  prisoners  escaped  by  tunnelling 
under  the  prison  walls,  and  in  London  got  on 
board  a  vessel  bound  for  Dunkirk.  But  a 
press-gang  found  them  and  dragged  them 
back  to  the  jail.  Among  their  number  was 
Master's  Mate  Richard  Dale.  A  year  after 
he  was  recaptured  he  procured  a  British  uni 
form.  How  he  got  it  he  would  never  tell,  not 
even  when  the  war  was  over,  and  it  is  there 
fore  not  unlikely  that  a  woman  brought  it  to 
him.  With  that  on,  he  walked  out  of  the  jail 
in  open  day  and  escaped. 

Meantime  another  American  cruiser  had 
been  at  work  on  the  British  coasts  with  nota 
ble  results.  The  American  commissioners  in 
France  had  purchased  a  fast  cutter,  which  they 
equipped  as  a  man-of-war.  They  named  her 
the  Surprise,  and  that  proved  to  be  a  very 
appropriate  name.  Capt.  Gustavus  Connyng- 
ham  was  placed  in  charge  of  her,  his  com 
mission  being  one  of  the  blank  ones  which 
had  been  given  to  the  commissioners  to  fill 
out  at  their  own  discretion.  It  was  dated 
March  i,  1777,  and  Captain  Connyngham  got 
away  to  sea  on  May  ist,  but  he  had  a  deal  of 
trouble  before  he  found  himself  fairly  afloat. 
To  avoid  complications  with  the  French  gov- 


124  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

eminent  he  was  obliged  to  send  ashore  all 
his  cannon  and  warlike  supplies  and  load  his 
vessel  with  merchandise  for  Norway.  In  this 
way  he  left  port.  Then,  when  well  outside, 
he  met  by  appointment  a  vessel  that  had  his 
equipment  and  crew,  and  effected  a  transfer. 
But  the  government  had  suspected  that  he 
was  going  to  do  this,  and  had  compelled  him 
to  give  bonds  not  to  do  it.  Two  men  were 
hired  to  sign  the  bond,  but  one  of  them  found 
he  had  made  a  bad  bargain,  even  though  he 
had  signed  it  with  his  eyes  open,  for  when  the 
first  prize  made  by  the  Surprise  came  in  he 
was  haled  away  to  the  Bastile,  while  the  prize, 
in  which  he  was  to  have  a  share,  no  doubt, 
was  given  up  to  the  English  without  legal 
process.  The  names  of  the  bondsmen  are 
recorded  simply  as  "  Allen  and  Hodge." 
Hodge  was  the  chief  unfortunate,  but  he  was 
released  after  six  weeks. 

The  prize  was  the  ship  Joseph.  She  was 
captured  the  third  day  out.  Four  days  later 
(May  7th),  while  cruising  off  the  coast  of  Hol 
land,  the  Surprise  fell  in  with  the  British 
packet  brig  Prince  of  Orange,  carrying  the 
mail  to  the  north  of  Europe,  and  having  a 
number  of  passengers  on  board. 

It  is  likely  that  no  ship's  company  were  ever 
more  completely  surprised  than  were  the  people 
on  the  Prince  of  Orange.  It  was  early  in  the 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  125 

forenoon  when  the  Surprise  came  alongside  and 
carried  the  packet  by  boarding.  Not  a  gun 
was  fired,  and  so  little  noise  was  made  that 
not  a  soul  below  decks  knew  that  anything 
out  of  the  usual  course  was  occurring  until 

o 

the  Yankee  captain  coolly  walked  down  the 
companionway  and  found  the  captain  of  the 
Prince  of  Orange  and  his  passengers  eating 
breakfast  very  comfortably. 

Because  of  the  mails  on  board  this  packet 
Captain  Connyngham  decided  to  carry  his 
prize  into  port  at  once. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  capture  of 
this  mail  packet  happened  but  a  few  weeks 
after  the  capture  of  the  Lisbon  packet.  So, 
as  may  be  supposed,  the  arrival  of  the  Sur 
prise,  with  the  Prince  of  Orange  as  a  prize, 
created  a  tremendous  excitement  among  the 
English.  The  British  ambassador  at  Paris 
demanded  that  Connyngham  and  his  crew  be 
surrendered  for  trial  as  pirates,  and  threatened 
to  leave  the  country  if  the  demand  was  not 
complied  with.  As  the  French  government 
was  not  yet  ready  for  war,  and  the  firm  atti 
tude  of  the  English  compelled  seeming  com 
pliance  with  the  demand,  Connyngham  was 
arrested  and  his  commission  taken  away  from 
him.  The  British  ambassador  sent  for  two 
sloops-of-war  to  come  over  and  convoy  the 
Surprise  and  the  Prince  of  Orange  across  to 


126  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

England.  For  a  time  it  looked  as  if  the  au 
dacious  Americans  would  really  be  hanged  as 
pirates  by  the  infuriated  Englishmen. 

But  in  those  days  much  time  was  required 
for  completing  matters  of  diplomacy,  and  the 
American  commissioners,  with  their  agents, 
were  working  day  and  night  not  only  to  save 
Captain  Connyngham,  but  to  send  him  once 
more  on  a  cruise  against  the  enemy.  Another 
swift  cutter  was  procured  and  secretly  armed 
with  fourteen  six-pounders  and  twenty  swivels, 
while  a  crew  of  106  men  was  shipped.  The 
new  man-of-war  was  very  properly  named  the 
Revenge,  and  before  the  sloops-of-war  had  ar 
rived  from  England  Captain  Connyngham 
had,  "  with  some  address  and  intrigue,"  been 
released  from  prison  and  supplied  with  a  new 
commission  and  sent  away  to  sea. 

It  was  on  July  18,  1/77,  that  the  Revenge 
left  port,  and  she  was  the  fifth  ship  of  the 
American  navy  to  cruise  in  England's  home 
waters.  If  the  Surprise  had  astonished  the 
British  seafaring  folks,  the  Revenge  astounded 
them.  And  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the 
little  fleet  of  three  vessels  under  Captain 
Wickes  had  already  gone  to  sea  on  the  same 
errand. 

It  is  recorded  that  the  Revenge  "proved  a 
remarkably  successful  vessel,  taking  prizes 
daily,"  which  were,  for  the  most  part,  sent  to 


THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY  127 

Spanish  ports  and  sold.  The  means  so  ob 
tained  were  of  the  utmost  value  to  the  Ameri 
can  commissioners  already  in  Europe  and  to 
those  who  came  after,  while  the  damage  in 
flicted  on  the  British  marine  was,  as  already 
intimated,  something  to  make  the  British  mer 
chant  wonder  whether,  after  all,  his  investments 
for  the  ruin  of  American  rivals  were  likely  to 
prove  profitable.  Nor  was  the  injury  felt  alone 
by  those  British  merchants  whose  ships  hap 
pened  to  be  captured.  The  insurance  rates  on 
all  British  ships  rose  at  one  period  to  twenty- 
five  per  cent.,  and  ten  per  cent,  was  demanded 
for  the  simple  voyage  from  Dover  to  Calais. 
Worse  yet,  the  fear  of  the  Yankee  cruisers  be 
came  so  great  that  shipments  in  British  vessels 
were  so  far  abandoned  that  "forty  sail  of 
French  ships  were  loading  in  the  Thames  on 
freight;  an  instance  never  before  known."  An 
escort  was  asked  for  and  received  for  British 
ships  in  the  trade  with  Ireland,  "something 
that  had  never  been  known  even  in  the  wars 
with  France." 

But  the  best  of  the  story  of  Captain  Con- 
nyngham's  cruise  remains  to  be  told.  Having 
been  considerably  injured  by  a  gale,  the  cap 
tain  felt  obliged  to  go  into  port  for  repairs. 
To  return  to  a  French  port  was  extremely 
dangerous  because  the  whole  French  coast 
was  closely  watched  and  because  even  were 


128  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

he  found  safely  in  port  he  would  be  very  likely 
delivered  over  to  the  English,  so  he  sought 
safety  in  audacity  and  found  it.  Disguising 
his  cutter  as  best  he  might  with  the  paint  and 
materials  in  store,  he  entered  an  English  port 
(the  name  of  which  is  not  recorded),  thoroughly 
refitted,  and  sailed  away  unsuspected.  Some 
time  later  he  entered  an  Irish  port  and  got  a 
full  supply  of  provisions,  paying  for  them  with 
drafts  on  his  agent  in  Spain.  Later  still  he 
refitted  at  Ferrol,  and  then  sailed  for  America. 

It  is  not  uncommon  for  people  to  speak  in 
these  days  of  such  deeds  as  Captain  Connyng- 
ham's  as  if  they  were  something  of  the  past  that 
might  never  be  repeated.  They  do  not  real 
ize  that  every  class  graduated  from  the  Naval 
Academy  at  Annapolis  contains  men  of  equal 
bravery  and  resources — men  needing  only  the 
opportunity  to  show  their  metal. 

It  must  be  noted  here  that  the  British  min 
istry  chose  to  make  a  distinction  between  the 
two  ships  fitted  out  wholly  in  the  French  ports 
(the  Sitrprise  and  the  Revenge)  and  those  that 
had  come  over  from  America ;  they  made  a 
distinction  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  these  two 
were  fitted  out  by  the  American  commissioners 
of  the  American  government  that  had  .main 
tained  itself  for  a  year.  The  Surprise  and 
the  Revenge  were  denounced  as  pirates,  and 
Connyngham  as  a  pirate  commander. 


THE   HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  129 

Unfortunately  for  Connyngham,  he  was  cap 
tured  in  a  privateer  early  the  following  year 
after  his  cruise  on  the  English  coast.  What 
treatment  he  then  received  cannot  be  given  in 
detail  here,  but  if  the  British  authorities  were 
willing  to  starve  the  prisoners  from  the  Lex 
ington,  which  was  then  conceded  to  be  a  law 
ful  ship  of  war,  one  may  rest  assured  that  it 
would  have  been  kinder  to  Connyngham  to 
hang  him  out  of  hand.  He  would,  indeed, 
have  been  hanged  but  for  the  fear  of  retribu 
tive  justice  being  meted  out  to  prisoners  in 
the  hands  of  the  Americans.  So,  to  put  it 
bluntly,  they  tortured  whom  they  dared  not 
kill,  until  the  Congress,  on  July  17,  1778, 
passed  a  resolution  formally  demanding  the 
reason  why  he  was  "  treated  in  a  manner  con 
trary  to  all  the  dictates  of  humanity  and  the 
practice  of  civilized  nations."  And  yet,  in 
spite  of  the  pitiful  sufferings  of  Connyngham 
and  the  other  American  seamen  in  British 
prisons,  it  was  not  until  July  15,  1779,  that 
Congress  resolved  to  "  cause  the  crews  of  ves 
sels  captured  from  the  enemy  to  be  confined 
on  board  prison  ships  and  supplied  and  treated, 
in  all  respects,  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
crews  of  vessels  belonging  to  these  United 
States,  and  captured  by  the  enemy,  are  sup 
plied  and  treated." 

The  story  of  the  early  doings  of  the  Amer- 


130  THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 

lean  navy  concludes  with   the  loss  of  the  first 
American  flagship,  the  Alfred. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Congress 
had,  late  in  1775,  ordered  quite  a  fleet  of  small 
frigates  built  at  different  points  along  the 
coast — thirteen  in  all.  Of  the  whole  number, 
six  never  got  to  sea,  for  they  were  captured 
in  port  by  the  victorious  British.  Among 
those  that  finally  carried  the  flag  was  the 
Raleigh,  a  thirty-two-gun  vessel,  built  at 
Portsmouth,  and  a  very  fair  ship  for  that  time 
she  proved  to  be.  Toward  the  end  of  Au 
gust,  1777,  the  Marine  Committee  ordered 
the  Raleigh,  under  the  command  of  Capt. 
Thomas  Thompson,  and  the  original  flagship 
Alfred,  which  was  still  under  the  command  of 
Capt.  Elisha  Hinman,  to  sail  for  France  to 
procure  supplies  for  the  American  army. 

The  two  ships  had  been  at  sea  only  a  few 
days,  when,  on  September  2d,  they  fell  in  with 
a  small  English  merchantman  called  the  Nancy, 
that  surrendered  without  a  stroke.  From  her 
captain  they  learned  that  she  had  gone  adrift 
the  day  before  from  a  big  fleet  bound  to  the 
Windward  Islands  under  convoy  of  one  twenty- 
gun  ship,  two  fourteen-gun  brigs,  and  one  six- 
teen-gun  sloop. 

On  learning  this  Captain  Thompson  care 
fully  noted  the  positions  of  the  different  men- 
of-war  in  the  squadron,  and  learned  the  code 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  131 

of  signals  in  use  in  the  fleet,  the  necessary 
flags  for  signalling  having  been  taken  from 
the  Nancy.  He  then  headed  away  in  pursuit. 

At  noon  on  the  3d  he  had  overhauled  the 
fleet,  and  from  that  time  until  daylight  of  the 
4th  he  was  busy  trying  to  cut  out  some  of 
the  merchantmen  without  exciting  suspicion. 
By  signalling  to  the  Alfred  with  the  captured 
code,  he  succeeded  in  concealing  his  character 
effectually  ;  but  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  he 
gave  up  the  hope  of  getting  a  merchantman, 
and  sought  a  fight  instead.  Leaving  the  Al 
fred,  that  was  too  slow  for  the  enterprise, 
behind,  he  steered  with  closed  ports  right 
through  the  fleet  until  in  an  advantageous 
position  on  the  weather  side  of  one  of  the 
brigs,  the  Druid,  when  he  opened  up  his 
ports,  set  his  flag,  and  fired  a  broadside  into 
the  unsuspecting  Britisher. 

The  effect  of  the  broadside  upon  the  other 
ships  of  the  fleet  was  picturesque.  Every 
where  the  pipe  of  the  boatswain  to  call  all 
hands  was  heard.  On  every  ship  the  men  ran 
to  and  fro  to  crowd  on  sail,  while  every  tiller 
was  thrown  up  or  down  as  every  ship  strove 
to  get  as  far  away  from  every  other  ship  as 
possible.  For  no  one  knew  what  minute  an 
other  supposed  cargo-carrier  would  prove  to 
be  a  Yankee  warship. 

Meantime  Captain   Thompson    fired  volley 


132  THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR   NAVY 

after  volley  into  the  Druid,  receiving  only  a 
feeble  fire  in  return,  until  the  brig  was  so  well 
wrecked  that  she  had  to  return  to  England. 
Her  loss,  according  to  Captain  Carteret,  who 
commanded  her,  was  six  killed  and  twenty-six 
wounded,  he  himself  being  among  the  se 
verely  wounded. 

But,  although  badly  cut  up,  the  Dritid  did 
not  surrender  ;  and  when  the  other  two  war 
ships,  with  several  of  the  best-armed  merchant 
men  who  had  recovered  from  the  panic,  drew 
near,  the  Raleigh  squared  away  and  returned 
to  the  Alfred. 

Rightly  considered,  it  was  not  an  exploit  to 
excite  the  pride  of  the  American  naval  officer, 
for  the  Raleigh  had  more  guns  than  the  two 
brigs  together,  and  should  have  been  almost 
a  match  for  all  three  of  the  warships.  Ameri 
can  sailors  had  not  yet  reached  the  efficiency 
as  man-o'-warsmen  that  afterwards  made  them 
famous. 

However,  the  two  American  ships  reached 
France,  and  loaded  their  supplies.  On  re 
turning  they  took  the  southern  route,  hoping 
to  meet  some  British  merchant  ships.  They 
met,  instead  of  merchantmen,  two  British  men- 
of-war — the  Ariadne  of  twenty  guns  and  the 
Ceres  of  fourteen. 

It  happened  that  the  two  Americans  were 
at  the  time  (it  was  on  March  9,  1778)  far 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  133 

apart,  the  Raleigh  being  hull  down  to  lee 
ward.  The  two  Britishers  came  down  on  the 
Alfred,  and  without  making  very  much  of  a 
fight  she  surrendered.  Seeing  this,  the  Ra 
leigh  up  helm  and  sailed  for  home,  where,  on 
his  arrival,  the  captain  was  very  properly  re 
lieved  from  the  command  of  the  ship.  What 
John  Paul  Jones  would  have  accomplished 
had  he  been  in  command  of  the  Raleigh  that 
voyage,  instead  of  Thompson,  may  be  inferred 
from  what  he  did  when  a  command  was  given 
him,  as  will  be  told  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER    VI 

JOHN    PAUL   JONES   AND    THE   RANGER 

THE  FIRST  SHIP  THAT  CARRIED  THE  STARS  AND  STRIPES — DASH  AT  A 
CONVOY  THAT  FAILED — WHEN  THE  DUTCH  WERE  BROWBEATEN — 
THE  RANGER  SENT  ON  A  CRUISE  IN  ENGLISH  WATERS — A  SHIP 
TAKEN  OFF  DUBLIN — THE  RAID  ON  WHITEHAVEN — WHEN  ONE 
BRAVE  MAN  COWED  MORE  THAN  A  THOUSAND — THE  WHOLE 
TRUTH  ABOUT  LORD  SELKIRK'S  SILVERWARE,  WITH  THE  NOBLE 
LORD'S  EXPRESSION  OF  GRATITUDE  WHEN  HE  GOT  IT  BACK — 
HOW  CAPTAIN  JONES  MISSED  THE  DRAKE  AT  FIRST,  BUT  GOT  HER 
LATER  ON  IN  A  FAIR  AND  WELL-FOUGHT  BATTLE. 

A  MOST  important  date  in  the  history  of  the 
United  States  is  June  14,  i  777,  for  on  that  day 
it  was  in  Congress  "Resolved,  That  the  flag  of 
the  thirteen  United  States  be  thirteen  stripes, 
alternate  red  and  white  ;  that  the  union  be 
thirteen  stars,  white,  in  a  blue  field,  represent 
ing  a  new  constellation."  In  the  annals  of  the 
navy  it  is  also  important,  from  the  fact  that 
on  that  day  Capt.  John  Paul  Jones  was  ap 
pointed  to  the  eighteen-gun  ship  Ranger,  which 
had  been  built  at  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire. 
Repairing  at  once  to  his  post,  Captain  Jones, 
in  placing  his  ship  in  commission,  hoisted  with 
his  own  hand  the  new-made  fla^  of  the  Union, 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  135 

and  that  was  the  first  occasion  on  which  "  old 
glory  "  was  spread  to  the  breeze  on  an  Ameri 
can  naval  ship.  Thereafter  every  effort  was 
made  to  get  away  to  sea,  but  the  difficulties 
which  the  struggling  Americans  had  to  over 
come  in  obtaining  supplies  were  so  great  that 
the  Ranger  did  not  sail  until  November  ist. 

The  destination  of  the  Ranger  was  Nantes, 
France,  and  her  mission  in  European  waters 
was  to  carry  on  the  work  begun  in  such  famous 
fashion  by  the  Reprisal,  the  Lexington,  the 
Surprise,  and  the  Revenge. 

On  the  way  over  Captain  Jones,  when  not 
far  from  the  Azores,  sighted  a  fleet  of  ten 
well-guarded  merchantmen.  The  warships 
were  too  heavy  for  the  Ranger,  and  the  mer 
chant  ships  kept  so  close  to  their  protectors 
that  it  was  impossible  to  cut  one  of  them  out 
of  the  fleet.  The  Ranger  was  not  swift  enough 
for  such  a  purpose.  The  Yankee  ship-builder 
had  not  yet  learned  the  art  of  building  men-of- 
war. 

After  leaving  the  convoy  nothing  happened 
save  the  capture  of  two  small  English  brigs  in 
the  fruit  trade,  and  on  December  2d  the  Ran 
ger  was  at  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Nantes, 
then  one  of  the  most  flourishing  of  French 
ports. 

At  that  time  the  American  commissioners  in 
France  were  Benjamin  Franklin,  Silas  Deane, 


CO 


a 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  137 

and  Arthur  Lee.  The  commissioners  had 
been  secretly  building  a  fine  frigate  in  Hol 
land — the  finest  afloat  it  was  to  be — but  the 
able  British  minister  at  Amsterdam  discovered 
the  ownership  of  the  new  vessel  and  made 
such  a  vigorous  protest  that  the  Dutch  were 
obliged  to  refuse  to  let  the  Americans  have  her. 

That  was  a  great  disappointment  to  Captain 
Jones,  but  he  cheerfully  obeyed  the  orders  of 
the  commissioners,  who  decided  that  "  after 
equipping  the  Ranger  in  the  best  manner  for 
the  cruise  you  shall  proceed  with  her  in  the 
manner  you  shall  judge  best  for  distressing 
the  enemies  of  the  United  States,  by  sea  or 
otherwise,  consistent  with  the  laws  of  war." 

Accordingly  on  February  10,  1778,  the 
Ranger  sailed  from  Nantes,  having  in  convoy 
several  American  merchant  ships  that  were 
bound  home,  and  that  were  to  be  placed  in 
charge  of  a  French  squadron  then  lying  in 
Quiberon  Bay  (Brest)  and  bound  eventually 
for  America  ;  for  France  had  by  this  time  ac 
knowledged  the  United  States  as  an  indepen 
dent  nation,  and  had  decided  to  openly  aid  the 
Americans  in  their  fight  for  liberty. 

On  reaching  Quiberon  Bay  he  had  the  great 
satisfaction  of  seeing  the  French  admiral  salute 
the  American  flag  after  the  Ranger  had,  un 
der  the  custom  of  such  occasions,  saluted  the 
French  flag.  It  was  an  honor  especially  grati- 


138  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

fying  for  the  reason  that  this  was  the  first 
occasion  on  which  a  foreign  power  saluted  the 
Stars  and  Stripes. 

Having  overhauled  his  rigging  and  taken 
on  additional  supplies,  Captain  Jones  sailed 
from  Brest  on  April  10,  1778,  and  steered 
across  to  the  coast  of  England.  Passing  be- 

o  o 

tween  the  Scilly  Islands  and  Cape  Clear,  he 
overhauled  a  brig  loaded  with  flax  bound  from 
Ireland  to  Ostend.  As  she  was  of  small  value 
he  scuttled  her,  and  to  save  himself  the. bother 
of  prisoners,  sent  her  crew  ashore  in  their  boat, 
for  the  capture  was  made  in  plain  view  of  the 
land.  This  was  done  on  April  i4th.  Three 
days  later  he  was  off  Dublin,  where  he  seized 
the  ship  Lord  Chatham  and  sent  her  to  Brest. 
Thereafter  he  headed  away  to  Whitehaven, 
that  is  found  a  short  distance  south  of  the 
Clyde.  It  was  a  port  with  which  Jones  was 
entirely  familiar,  for  there  he  had  passed  his 
childhood.  It  was  his  intention  to  burn  the 
shipping  which,  as  he  knew,  thronged  the 
harbor.  He  arrived  off  the  harbor  at  ten 
o'clock  at  night  of  the  same  day  he  captured 
the  Lord  Chatham,  but  a  gale  of  wind  pre 
vented  his  landing,  so  he  cruised  on  to  the 
north.  The  next  day  (April  i8th)  the  Ranger 
chased  a  revenue  cutter  that  escaped  him,  but 
on  the  iQth  he  sank  a  coasting  schooner  loaded 
with  barley. 


Map  of  the 

BRITISH  ISLES 

A.VJ)  THE  COAST   OF  FRANCE. 

Showing  first  and  second  voyages 
of  Capt.  John  Paul  Jones,  and 
the  route  of  the  Reprisal. 

First  Cruise  of  Capt.  Jonc 

—  H 1-   Second    "     "      " 

Route  of  the  Reprisal 


50     100  200 

Scale  of  Miles 
FluniiLU  Isluuds 


Wrath  ^"Island's 


GERMAN 


fart*  of  Forth 

OCEAN 


140  THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR   NAVY 

Thereafter  he  continued  his  cruise  to  the 
north.  The  weather  prevented  an  attack  on 
a  fleet  of  merchantmen  with  a  man-of-war  at 
Lochryan,  so  the  Ranger  was  headed  across  to 
the  Bay  of  Carrickfergus,  Ireland,  at  the  head 
of  which  lies  the  city  of  Belfast.  A  fisherman 
picked  up  outside  told  Captain  Jones  that  the 
man-of-war  Drake,  a  ship  that  mounted  twenty 
guns  and  was  a  larger  ship  and  carried  more 
men  than  the  Ranger,  lay  at  anchor  inside. 

All  this  was  learned  on  April  2ist.  That 
night  Captain  Jones  undertook  capturing  the 
Drake  as  she  lay  at  anchor.  Waiting  until 
night  had  fully  come,  he  stood  up  the  bay,  in 
spite  of  a  freshening  gale,  until  he  saw  the 
Drake  lying  at  anchor  and  rolling  gently  to 
the  swell.  At  that  the  Ranger  was  brought 
up  into  the  wind  almost  beneath  the  jib-boom 
of  the  Drake,  and  then  Captain  Jones  ordered 
his  anchor  let  go. 

Had  his  order  been  obeyed  instantly,  the 
Ranger  would  have  swung  to  her  cable  down 
across  the  cable  of  the  enemy  and  then  yard- 
arm  to  yardarm  fair  alongside. 

Knowing  nothing  of  the  presence  of  an 
American  man-of-war  in  those  waters,  the  crew 
of  the  Drake  would  have  been  found  in  their 
hammocks  and  the  Ranger  would  have  carried 
her  by  boarding,  with  little  if  any  loss  of  life. 

Unfortunately,  the  Ranger  s  anchor  was  not 


THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY  141 

dropped  at  the  word,  and  when,  at  last,  it  did 
catch  in  the  mud,  Captain  Jones  found  himself 
between  the  Drake  and  a  lee  shore  and  too  far 
astern  for  effective  firing.  The  Ranger  was, 
in  fact,  in  almost  as  bad  a  situation  as  that  in 
which  Jones  had  intended  to  place  the  Drake. 
To  remain  was  to  invite  destruction,  so  the 
Rangers  cable  was  cut  the  instant  she  brought 
a  strain  upon  it,  and  she  was  headed  out  into 
the  bay  for  another  attempt  at  the  same  ma 
noeuvre,  leaving  the  anchor  watch  of  the  Drake 
to  wonder  what  possessed  the  crew  of  what 
they  supposed  was  an  especially  ill-managed 
merchantman. 

However,  the  second  attempt  was  not  made. 
The  weather  came  on  fierce  and  cold,  and  the 
next  morning,  from  his  deck  in  the  North 
Channel,  Captain  Jones  saw  the  hills  on  both 
shores  white  with  snow.  So  he  headed  away 
for  another  attempt  on  the  shipping  at  White- 
haven. 

Because  the  attempt  on  Whitehaven  has 
been  more  persistently  misrepresented  by 
British  writers  than  any  other  act  of  the  Revo 
lutionary  war  it  is  necessary  to  give  not  only  the 
exact  facts,  but  the  reasons  which  influenced 
Jones  as  an  American  naval  officer  in  making 
the  descent.  To  fully  appreciate  his  motives, 
it  is  only  necessary  to  recall  but  a  few  incidents 
of  the  British  onslaught  upon  the  Americans 


142  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

—to  recall  the  burning  of  Portland,  Maine,  by 
Captain  Mowatt,  who  "dispersed  at  a  late 
season  of  the  year,  hundreds  of  helpless  women 
and  children,  with  a  savage  hope  that  those 
may  perish  under  the  approaching  rigours  of 
the  season,  who  may  chance  to  escape  destruc 
tion  from  fire  and  sword "  —to  recall  that 
among  the  accounts  which  Sir  Guy  Carleton 
turned  in  for  audit  to  the  British  Parliament 
was  one  item  of  "  five  gross  of  scalping  knives," 
which  he  distributed  to  the  savages  under  his 
command  for  use  on  the  unfortunate  Ameri 
cans  that  they  might  fall  upon,  and  which  were 
used  for  scalping  women  and  children  as  well 
as  prisoners  of  war. 

John  Paul  Jones  went  ashore  on  the  British 
coast  to  burn  the  British  shipping  and  no  more. 
He  was  determined  to  "  put  an  end,  by  one 
good  fire  of  shipping,  to  all  the  burnings  in 
America."  He  was  also  determined  to  cap 
ture  an  earl  to  hold  as  a  hostage,  and  com 
pel  a  brutal  enemy  to  treat  captured  Ameri 
cans  as  civilized  nations  have  always  treated 
prisoners  of  war.  He  missed  the  earl,  and  his 
men  took  the  earl's  silver  plate  to  the  value 
of  ^500,  which  plate  Jones  purchased  after 
wards  with  his  own  money,  and  returned  to 
the  earl  with  a  manly  letter. 

In  view  of  the  barbarities  of  which  the 
English  had  been  guilty  in  America,  and  of 


An   English    Caricature   of  John    Paul   Jones. 

("  From  an  original  drawing-  taken  from  the  Life  on  board  the  Serapis.") 
Published  in  London,  October  22,  1779. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  145 

the  retaliation  which  self-defence  as  well  as 
justice  demanded,  John  Paul  Jones,  after  his 
cruise  along  the  coast,  might  well  and  right 
eously  have  used  the  words  which  a  titled 
British  robber  of  the  helpless  used  when 
brought  before  Parliament  to  answer  for  his 
crimes  :  "  By  God,  at  this  moment  I  stand 
astonished  at  my  own  moderation." 

After  one  hundred  years  have  passed  away 
it  is  safe  to  say  that  every  American  who 
reads  of  the  events  of  the  American  Revolu 
tion  stands  astonished  at  the  moderation  of 
the  fathers. 

As  to  the  facts  of  the  descent  on  White- 
haven,  they  may  be  soon  told.  Lowering  two 
boats  after  the  Ranger  had  arrived,  Captain 
Jones  ordered  fifteen  men,  armed  with  cut 
lasses  and  pistols,  into  each.  Then  he  placed 
Lieutenant  Wallingsford  in  charge  of  one,  and 
took  the  other  himself.  Unfortunately,  one 
of  the  crew,  a  man  named  David  Freeman, 
had  shipped  with  the  express  purpose  of  serv 
ing  the  English  whenever  opportunity  offered. 

It  is  said  that  220  vessels,  great  and  small, 
lay  in  Whitehaven  harbor,  of  which  150  were 
on  the  south  side,  where  the  town  stood,  and 
the  remainder  were  on  the  north.  Nearly  if 
not  quite  all  had  been  left  aground  by  the  ebb 
tide — the  tide  that  prevented  Jones  reaching 
the  shipping  until  daylight.  Wallingsford 


146  THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

was  sent  to  fire  the  shipping  at  the  north, 
while  Jones  landed  at  the  town. 

Whitehaven  was  guarded  at  that  time  by 
two  forts  of  fifteen  guns  each.  With  his  sin 
gle  boat's  crew  Jones  ran  to  the  nearest  one. 
The  sentinels,  greatly  alarmed,  fled  into  the 
guard-house,  where  Jones  locked  them  in. 
Then  he  spiked  the  guns.  At  the  other  fort, 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  he  was  equally 
successful. 

Turning,  then,  to  see  the  flames  rising  from 
the  ships  across  the  harbor,  he  found  that 
nothing  had  been  done  to  them.  Lieutenant 
Wallingsford's  failure  to  obey  orders  has  been 
variously  accounted  for,  but  whatever  his  error 
may  have  been,  he  wiped  it  out  by  fighting  for 
the  flag  till  he  died  in  the  battle  of  two  days 
later. 

Seeing  his  plan  partly  frustrated,  Captain 
Jones  hastened  back  to  the  water-front,  and 
with  his  own  hands  built  a  fire  on  a  large  ves 
sel  in  the  midst  of  the  fleet,  using  a  brand 
which  he  had  snatched  from  the  breakfast  fire 
in  the  kitchen  of  a  nearby  house.  To  increase 
the  flames,  he  broke  open  and  spilled  a  barrel 
of  tar  over  the  light-wood  he  was  firing. 

Meantime  the  deserter  had  been  alarming 
the  town.  "  The  inhabitants  began  to  appear 
in  thousands."  There  must  have  been  not  less 
than  1,200  sailors  alone  among  the  150  ships 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  147 

lying  there.  As  the  flames  mounted  in  air 
above  the  burning  ship  the  men  of  the  town 
came  down  en  masse,  but  Jones  stood  between 
them  and  the  fire,  and,  with  pistol  in  hand, 
"  ordered  them  to  retire,  which  they  did  with 
precipitation."  Men  in  a  crowd  numbering 
hundreds  fell  over  each  other  to  cret  out  of 

o 

range.  A  more  amusing  instance  of  the  power 
of  a  resolute  man  over  a  mob  will  rarely  be 
found  in  history. 

For  fifteen  minutes  John  Paul  Jones,  single^ 
handed,  held  at  bay  more  than  a  thousand 
men.  Then  he  entered  his  boat  and  rowed 
away,  leaving  the  townsmen  to  fight  the  fire 
and  shed  tears  of  gratitude  over  the  deserter 

o 

who  had  saved  them  from  destruction  at  the 
hands  of  fifteen  men  armed  with  cutlasses  and 
flint-locked,  single-barrelled,  shoot-if-you-are- 
lucky  pistols  ! 

When  Jones  was  well  out  in  the  bay  the 
people  found  a  couple  of  cannon  which  Jones 
had  overlooked.  These  they  loaded  and  fired. 
And  Jones,  recalling  the  time  when  a  frigate 
had  chased  his  brig  in  the  Canadian  waters, 
fired  a  pistol  in  return. 

From  Whitehaven  Jones  sailed  over  to  the 
Isle  of  St.  Mary,  landed  with  a  force  of  men, 
and  surrounded  the  house  of  the  Earl  of  Sel 
kirk.  It  was  the  avowed  object  of  this  land 
ing  to  carry  away  the  earl,  "  and  to  have 


148  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

detained  him  until,  through  his  means,  a  gen 
eral  and  fair  exchange  of  prisoners,  as  well  in 
Europe  as  in  America,  had  been  effected."  It 
was  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  Ameri 
cans,  held  in  jail  and  deliberately  starved,  that 
Captain  Jones  landed. 

Finding  that  the  earl  was  not  at  home,  the 
men  in  the  landing  party  called  on  their  com 
mander  to  take  the  silverware  from  the  castle 
as  fair  plunder  and  but  a  just  revenge  for  the 
acts  of  British  sailors  in  America,  who  had 
not  only  looted  the  homes  of  the  rich,  but  had 
driven  off  the  one  cow  and  the  one  pig  of  the 
laborer.  Captain  Jones  permitted  them  to  do 
so.  The  following  is  .the  British  account  of 
the  affair,  taken  from  Dodsley's  ''Annual  Regis 
ter  "  (London)  for  i  778.  On  page  i  77  it  says  : 

"Edinburgh,  April  27.  The  following  are 
the  particulars  of  the  plundering  of  Lord  Sel 
kirk's  house  by  the  crew  of  the  Ranger,  Ameri 
can  privateer. 

"  On  the  23d  of  April,  about  ten  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  30  armed  men  came  in  a  boat 
from  a  privateer  of  20  guns,  and  pretending 
at  first  to  be  a  press  gang,  the  men  sur 
rounded  the  house,  and  the  officers  entered 
and  desired  to  see  the  heads  of  the  family.  As 
Lord  Selkirk  was  then  at  London,  Lady  Sel 
kirk  made  her  appearance.  They  soon  made 
known  to  her  who  they  really  were  ;  said  they 


A. PARK  .1 7.J,«rruznt S! 


"  Paul  Jones  the  Pirate." 
From  an  old  engraving  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  W.  C.  Crane. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  151 

meant  to  have  seized  Lord  Selkirk's  person 
had  he  been  at  home,  and  to  have  carried  him 
off,  but  all  they  now  asked  was  to  have  the 
plate  of  the  house.  As  there  could  be  no 
thought  of  resistance,  this  was  at  once  com 
plied  with  ;  and  having  taken  possession  of  it 
they  walked  off  and  reimbarked.  They  be 
haved  civily,  and  only  the  officers  presumed 
to  enter  the  house,  and  happily  her  ladyship 
did  not  suffer  from  the  alarm." 

With  this  British  account  of  this  affair  in 
mind,  let  the  reader  turn  back  and  read  the 
British  account  of  the  burning  of  Portland 
(then  Falmouth),  Maine,  and  so  compare  the 
American  deed  with  that  of  the  British. 

The  silver  taken  was  of  the  real  value  of 
^500,  but  when  it  was  sold  for  the  benefit  of 
the  crew  Jones  bought  it  and  returned  it  at  his 
own  expense — at  a  cost  of  ,£1,000,  all  told — to 
the  noble  Lord.  In  August,  1789,  years  after 
the  plate  was  returned,  the  earl  was  con 
strained  to  write  Jones  that,  "  notwithstanding 
all  the  precautions  you  took  for  the  easy  and 
uninterrupted  conveyance  of  the  plate,"  there 
were  considerable  delays ;  nevertheless,  it  ar 
rived  safely.  "  I  intended  to  have  put  an  ar 
ticle  in  the  newspapers  about  your  having 
returned  it,"  he  adds,  but  his  good  intentions 
miscarried.  However,  if  he  did  not  publicly 
acknowledge  the  honor  of  the  American  naval 


152  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

captain  who  had  spent  $5,000  to  return  the 
plate,  he  privately  "  mentioned  it  to  many 
people  of  fashion,"  so  reads  his  letter.  The 
British  historians  deliberately  omit  mentioning 
that  Jones  returned  the  silver. 

After  the  descent  upon  the  Isle  of  St.  Mary's 
the  Ranger  still  lingered  on  that  coast.  Cap 
tain  Jones  knew  very  well  that  many  cruisers 
were  already  under  orders  to  seek  him  ;  but 
they  were  still  far  away,  and  he  must  needs  try 
conclusions  with  the  Drake  that  he  had  tried 
to  take  over  in  the  bay  near  Belfast. 

On  the  morning  of  April  24,  1778,  he  hove 
to  off  the  bay,  and  then  filled  and  backed  until 
well  along  in  the  afternoon.  The  commander 
of  the  Drake,  seeing  a  stranger  outside,  sent  a 
young  officer  in  a  small  boat  to  see  what  she 
was.  Captain  Jones  handled  his  ship  so  skil 
fully  that  her  stern  was  kept  toward  the  com 
ing  boat  until  she  was  directly  under  the 
Ranger s  counter.  Then  the  officer  was  in 
duced  to  come  on  board,  and  not  until  he  had 
climbed  up  the  ladder  and  reached  the  deck 
did  he  know  that  he  was  on  a  Yankee  cruiser. 

Finding  his  officer  did  not  return,  the  com 
mander  of  the  Drake  got  under  way.  Mean 
time  signal  fires  had  been  built  on  every  hill 
top  along  both  coasts,  and  the  black  columns 
of  smoke  were  rising  high  in  air.  Moreover,  a 

o          o 

fleet  of  five  excursion  boats  crowded  with  curi- 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  153 

ous  spectators  was  seen  following  the  British 
man-of-war.  But  the  wind  was  light  and  the 
tide  against  him,  and  it  was  not  until  an  hour 
before  sunset  that  the  Drake  s  captain  was  able 
to  bring  his  ship  within  fighting  range  of  the 
Yankee.  Finally  he  found  himself  under  the 
lee  quarter  of  the  Ranger  and  but  a  pistol-shot 
away.  There  he  hoisted  his  colors.  Captain 
Jones  at  once  ran  up  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 

"  What  ship  is  that?"  said  a  voice  on  the 
Drake. 

"  It  is  the  American  continental  ship  Ranger. 
We  are  waiting  for  you.  The  sun  is  but  little 
more  than  an  hour  from  setting.  It  is  there 
fore  time  to  begin,"  replied  Captain  Jones. 
Then  turning  to  the  man  at  the  wheel,  Captain 
Jones  ordered  the  helm  hard  up.  The  Ranger 
wore  slowly  around,  and  the  Drake  followed 
her  motion  until  they  were  drifting  broadside 
to  broadside  and  yardarm  to  yardarm  fair  be 
fore  the  wind. 

And  then  Captain  Jones  opened  the  battle 
with  a  broadside.  The  enemy  replied  in  kind, 
and  as  fair  a  fight  as  naval  annals  record  was 
begun.  But  after  a  little  the  fore  and  main 
topsail-yards  of  the  Drake  were  cut  in  two  at 
the  masts  and  hung  useless.  The  mizzen-gaff 
was  shot  away  and  dropped.  The  jib  fell  and 
dragged  overboard  in  the  water.  The  rigging 
and  sails  were  in  tatters.  Worse  yet,  blood 


154  THE   HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY 

was  trickling  from  her  scuppers  because  of  the 
dead  and  wounded  on  her  deck.  Among  the 
dead  at  the  last  was  her  commander,  Captain 
Burdon,  who  was  killed  by  a  musket-ball 
through  his  brain.  Among  the  wounded  was 
the  first  lieutenant,  and  he  was  mortally  hurt. 

The  flag  first  spread  on  the  Drake  was  shot 
away,  but  they  raised  another.  This,  too,  was 
shot  away,  and  falling  overboard,  it  dragged 
in  the  water.  A  little  later,  and  just  as  the 
sun  was  going  down  behind  the  Irish  hills,  a 
cry  for  quarter  was  raised  on  the  Drake,  and 
the  battle  came  to  an  end. 

The  Ranger  in  this  fight  had  eighteen  guns. 
The  Drake  carried  twenty.  The  Ranger  s 
crew  numbered  123.  The  Drake  had  151 
men  on  her  books,  and,  in  addition  to  these, 
had  taken  on  a  number  of  volunteers  from  the 
shore,  who  had  been  anxious  to  help  whip  the 
Yankees.  These  raised  the  number  of  her 
crew  to  1 60  by  the  lowest  account  and  190 
by  the  highest.  The  Ranger  lost  two  killed, 
including  Lieutenant  Wallingsford,  and  six 
wounded.  The  Drake  lost  forty-two  killed 
and  wounded.  It  is  fair  to  say  that  the  Brit 
ish  account  of  the  battle  in  Allen's  history 
says  the  loss  was  but  twenty-four.  But  Al 
len  probably  counted  only  those  killed  and 
wounded  among  the  ship's  regular  crew  and 
ignored  the  volunteers,  while  the  Americans 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  155 

counted  the  corpses  and  men  under  the  sur 
geon's  care. 

The  odds  had  been  against  him,  but  the 
honors  remained  with  John  Paul  Jones. 

After  the  battle  a  merchant  brig  happened 
along,  and  a  prize  crew  was  put  on  board  of 
her.  Then  the  fishermen  who  had  been  cap 
tured  when  the  Ranger  first  arrived  on  the 
coast  were  not  only  released,  but  enough  gold 
was  given  them  to  pay  for  all  their  losses, 
together  with  a  sail  from  the  Drake  s  outfit  as 
a  notice  to  the  shore  people  that  the  Yankee 
had  won.  They  went  away  cheering  the  gen 
erosity  of  John  Paul  Jones. 

And  while  speaking  of  the  generosity  of  this 
American  naval  captain,  it  should  be  told  that, 
in  fitting  out  the  Ranger  on  the  American  side, 
he  advanced  to  the  American  government  sev 
eral  thousand  dollars  (continental  currency) 
of  his  own  money,  and  that  he  bore  all  the 
expense  of  fitting  and  refitting  her  on  the 
French  coasts  before  her  cruise.  In  all,  he 
spent  some  ,£1,500  sterling  of  his  own  money, 
and  because  of  the  poverty  of  the  American 
government  he  had  to  wait  a  long  time  to  get 
it  back  again. 

It  was  very  well  written  of  this  cruise  that 
"  the  news  of  the  brilliant  achievements  of 
Paul  Jones  electrified  France  and  appalled 
England." 


156  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

Just  how  much  England  was  appalled  by 
the  American  demonstrations  on  her  coast 
may  be  inferred  from  a  statement  of  the  num 
ber  of  men  "  raised  "  (i.e.,  gathered  in  by  press 
gangs)  for  her  navy.  In  1774  she  "raised" 
345  men.  In  1777  she  "  raised  "  37,458,  and 
in  1778  the  number  was  41,847. 


CHAPTER    VII 

THE    FIRST    SUBMARINE    WARSHIP 

IT  WAS  SMALL  AND  INEFFECTIVE,  HUT  IT  CONTAINED  THE  GERM  OF  A 
MIGHTY  POWER  THAT  IS  AS  YET  UNDEVELOPED — WHEN  NICHOLAS 
BIDDLE  DIED — HE  WAS  A  MAN  OF  THE  SPIRIT  OF  AN  IDEAL  AMER 
ICAN  NAVAL  OFFICER — FOUGHT  HIS  SHIP  AGAINST  OVERWHELM 
ING  ODDS  TILL  BLOWN  OUT  OF  THE  WATER — THE  LOSS  OF  THE 
HANCOCK — AN  AMERICAN  CAPTAIN  DISMISSED  FOR  A  GOOD  REASON 
— CAPTAIN  RATHBURNE  AT  NEW  PROVIDENCE — LOSS  OF  THE 
VIRGINIA — CAPTAIN  BARRY'S  NOTABLE  EXPLOIT — WITH  TWENTY- 
SEVEN  MEN  TO  HELP  HIM,  HE  CAPTURED  A  SCHOONER  OF  TEN  GUNS 
BY  BOARDING  FROM  SMALL  BOATS  IN  BROAD  DAYLIGHT,  ALTHOUGH 
THE  SCHOONER  WAS  MANNED  BY  Il6  SAILORS  AND  SOLDIERS. 

ONE  of  the  most  striking  features  of  the 
American  naval  service  during  the  war  of  the 
Revolution  was  its  irregularity.  There  was 
a  navy  continuously  in  existence,  but  the  ser 
vices  rendered  by  individual  men  and  ships 
were  extremely  irregular.  It  has  already  been 
told  how  John  Paul  Jones,  after  his  successful 
cruise  to  the  Cape  Breton  waters,  had  to  re 
main  idle  for  many  months.  After  his  famous 
cruise  in  the  Ranger  he  was  again  idle  until 
the  king  of  France  furnished  him  a  ship.  Cap 
tain  Gustavus  Connyngham,  who  gained  such 


158  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

a  reputation  in  the  Surprise  and  the  Revenge 
on  the  British  coasts,  was  actually  obliged  to 
seek  service  in  a  privateer,  after  his  return 
to  port,  for  lack  of  other  employment.  Jones 
had  an  excellent  offer  to  do  this  also,  but  he 
refused  on  the  ground  that  he  was  not  fight 
ing  for  money,  but  for  the  "  Honour  of  the 
American  flag."  If  men  like  Jones  and  Con- 
nyngham  were  left  to  shift  for  themselves,  and 
without  pay  at  that,  it  follows  that  others  were 
treated  in  like  manner. 

The  cause  of  this  condition  of  affairs  is 
readily  found  by  the  student  in  the  method  of 
caring  for  the  navy  adopted  by  the  Congress. 
It  was  a  method  in  keeping  with  a  deal  of  the 
work  done  then.  First,  there  was  a  Marine 
Committee  of  the  Congress  to  buy  ships  and 
send  them  on  a  single  "  cruise  eastward." 
Later,  there  was  a  Marine  Board,  part  con 
gressmen  and  part  plain  citizens,  "  but  no  two 
of  whom  shall  be  from  the  same  State."  There 
was  a  "  Continental  Naval  Board."  There 
was  a  "  Board  of  Admiralty."  There  were 
naval  agents.  The  powers  and  duties  of  all 
these  were  changed  so  often  that  no  one  can 
follow  them  in  less  space  than  a  large  volume, 
and  a  more  wearying  volume  than  that  would 
be  is  difficult  to  imagine.  There  was,  in 
short,  an  utter  lack  of  system  in  naval  affairs 
throughout  the  whole  Revolution.  Worse 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  159 

yet,  the  Congress  was  as  lacking  in  funds  as  in 
system. 

The  first  result  of  this  state  of  affairs  was  to 
prevent  the  development  of  an  esprit  de  corps 
among  the  officers.  As  already  told,  Capt. 
Thomas  Thompson  of  the  Raleigh  ran  away 
and  left  the  Alfred  to  her  fate  when  the  Ari 
adne  and  Ceres  overhauled  her.  When  John 
Paul  Jones  was  towing  the  Drake  into  Brest 
he  saw  a  sail,  and  left  the  Drake  for  a  time  to 
examine  the  stranger.  While  he  was  away 
the  American  officer  in  the  Drake  tried  to 
carry  her  off  to  another  port,  hoping  to  get 
her  fitted  out  and  sent  on  a  cruise  with  him 
self  in  command,  independent  of  Captain 
Jones.  The  list  of  offences  of  this  class — the 
clashing  of  officers  where  they  would  in  this 
day  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder — is  distress 
ingly  long. 

Another  very  serious  result  of  the  misman 
agement  was  in  the  effect  on  the  common  sail 
ors.  It  was  very  difficult  to  get  men  for  the 
national  ships,  because  the  life  on  the  priva 
teers  was  more  to  their  liking,  and  the  chances 
of  getting  prize  money  very  much  greater. 

And  all  this  is  worth  relating  because  the 
men  of  the  navy  won  glory  and  were  indispen 
sable  to  the  ultimate  victory  of  a  growing  na 
tion,  in  spite  of  it.  The  record  of  the  naval 
men  as  a  whole  was  as  brilliant  as  the  con- 


160  THE   HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

gressional  management  was  inefficient,  and 
that  is  a  condition  of  affairs  that  has  since 
been  known  in  the  navy. 

To  return  to  the  American  coast  and  give 
an  account  of  the  more  interesting  naval  do- 

o 

ings  there  during  the  time  that  the  old  flag 
was  winning  glory  in  Europe,  it  is  found  that 
considerable  losses  were  sustained,  though  the 
story  is  not  by  any  means  wholly  depressing. 

For  instance,  there  is  the  story  of  Capt. 
Nicholas  Biddle.  "  Liberty  never  had  a  more 
intrepid  defender"  than  Nicholas  Biddle.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  he  was  one  of  the 
original  captains  of  the  navy,  and  was  ap 
pointed  to  the  brig  Andrea  Doria,  in  which 
he  gained  reputation.  So,  when  the  first  of 
the  thirty-two-gun  frigates,  which  Congress 
ordered  in  1775,  was  completed,  Captain  Bid- 
die  was  placed  in  command.  She  was  called 
the  Randolph,  and  she  sailed  from  Philadel 
phia  in  February,  1777.  Off  Hatteras  she 
sprung  her  masts  in  a  gale,  and  put  into  Char 
leston  for  repairs.  Then  she  sailed  again,  and 
within  a  week  brought  in  six  prizes,  including 
a  twenty-gun  ship  called  the  True  Briton. 
Unfortunately,  a  blockading  squadron  ap 
peared  off  Charleston  at  this  time,  and  until 
March,  1778,  he  was  held  there. 

Meantime,  however,  his  success  had  fired 
the  hearts  of  the  South  Carolinians,  and  while 


AMERICAN   COAST, 

Showing  Principal  Battles 
and  Forts  durins  thfi  Ravolu- 


1 62  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

he  was  there  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
them  fit  out  four  State  cruisers  carrying,  all 
told,  sixty-four  guns.  This  work  completed, 
Captain  Biddle,  with  the  State  fleet  as  con 
sorts,  sailed  out  to  look  for  the  blockading 
squadron,  but  it  had  sailed  away. 

So  Captain  Biddle  took  his  little  squadron 
down  along  the  Caribbean  coasts.  Here, 
east  of  the  Barbadoes,  they  happened  to  fall 
in  with  the  British  ship-of-the-line  Yarmouth, 
Captain  Vincent. 

To  properly  understand  what  followed,  it 
must  be  known  that  a  ship-of-the-line  was  built 
of  such  heavy  timbers  that  nothing  smaller 
than  a  twelve-pounder  could  seriously  damage 
its  hull.  The  only  guns  in  Biddle's  squadron 
that  could  hope  to  penetrate  her  hull  were 
Biddle's  own,  and  his  ship  had  but  thirty-two 
guns  to  the  Yarmouth's  sixty-four,  and  they 
were  smaller  at  that  ;  so  Captain  Biddle  sig 
nalled  the  State  cruisers  to  run  for  it  while  he, 
in  spite  of  the  vast  superiority  of  the  enemy, 
sailed  boldly  up  to  her,  broadside  to  broadside. 

Better  yet,  for  one  full  hour  he  was  able  to 
maintain  the  contest  with  his  thirty-two  small 
guns  against  sixty-four  large  ones.  He  was 
wounded,  but  he  refused  to  allow  his  men  to 
carry  him  below,  and  while  he  was  thus  direct 
ing  the  battle  from  the  quarter-deck,  the  pow 
der  in  the  Randolphs  magazine  was  in  some 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  163 

way  fired,  and  the  ship  was  literally  blown  out 
of  the  water.  Pieces  of  the  wreck,  in  flames, 
fell  on  the  Yarmouth,  while  an  American  en 
sign,  rolled  up  ready  to  be  sent  aloft,  in  case 
the  one  flying  should  be  shot  away,  fell,  un- 
singed,  upon  her  forecastle. 

It  was  at  10  o'clock  on  the  morning  of 
March  7,  1778,  that  this  disaster  occurred. 
The  Randolph  had  on  board  315  men  at 
the  time.  The  people  of  the  Yarmouth  sup 
posed  that  all  hands  had  perished,  and  made 
sail  after  the  rest  of  the  Yankee  squadron, 
though  without  success.  On  March  i2th 
the  Yarmouth  happened  back  over  the  very 
water  where  the  fight  had  taken  place,  and 
there  found  a  piece  of  the  Randolph  floating 
about  with  four  seamen  upon  it,  who  were, 
of  course,  picked  up.  Captain  Vincent  of 
the  Yarmouth  reported  five  men  killed  and 
twelve  wounded. 

The  little  brig  Cabot,  of  fourteen  guns,  that 
made  such  a  brave  fight  in  the  first  cruise  of 
the  first  squadron,  came  to  grief  on  the  coast 
of  Nova  Scotia.  She  was  in  command  of 
Capt.  Joseph  Olney.  The  British  frigate  Mil- 
ford,  with  which  John  Paul  Jones  had  had  so 
much  fun,  happened  along,  and  as  the  Cabot 
was  even  slower  than  she,  Captain  Olney  ran 
her  ashore  to  keep  her  from  the  enemy.  The 
crew  barely  had  time  to  get  ashore,  but  they 


164  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

fired  the  Cabot  before  leaving.  Once  on  shore, 
they  were,  of  course,  afoot  and  friendless  in  the 
enemy's  country,  but  Captain  Olney  and  his  men 
captured  a  schooner  and  returned  home  in  her. 

This  occurred  in  March,  1777.  On  April 
9th,  following,  Capt.  Dudley  Saltonstall,  in  the 
Trumbull  of  twenty-eight  guns,  captured  two 
British  transports  off  New  York  harbor  that 
were  laden  with  military  stores  for  the  British 
army,  and  so  more  than  retrieved  the  loss  of 
the  Cabot.  The  Trumbull  lost  seven  killed 
and  eight  wounded.  The  only  record  of  the 
loss  on  the  transports  says  that  "  the  enemy 
suffered  severely." 

The  year  1777  was  noted  for  the  building 
of  the  first  American  submarine  torpedo  boat. 
David  Bushnell,  of  Saybrook,  Connecticut  (he 
moved  to  Peekskill,  New  York,  later),  a  most 
ingenious  mechanical  engineer,  devised  a  turtle- 
shaped  cask  large  enough  to  hold  a  man  and 
carry  a  torpedo  containing  150  pounds  of  pow 
der,  with  mechanism  to  fasten  it  to  the  wooden 
bottom  of  a  ship  and  to  fire  it  when  so  fast 
ened.  Because  this  was  the  first  attempt  to 
use  a  submarine  vessel  for  the  purposes  of  war, 
and  because  Bushnell's  invention,  fearsome  as 
it  was,  is  not  even  yet  developed  to  anything 
like  the  degree  of  which  it  is  capable,  the  de 
scription  which  he  wrote  of  the  thing  is  well 
worth  giving  in  full,  as  follows  : 


THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR   NAVY  165 

"GENERAL  PRINCIPLES  AND  CONSTRUCTION  OF  A 
SUBMARINE  VESSEL,  COMMUNICATED  BY  DAVID 
BUSHNELL,  OF  CONNECTICUT,  THE  INVENTOR, 
A  LETTER  OF  OCTOBER,  1787,  TO  THOMAS  JEF 
FERSON,  THEN  MINISTER  PLENIPOTENTIARY  OF 
THE  UNITED  STATES  AT  PARIS. 

"  The  external  shape  of  the  submarine  ves 
sel  bore  some  resemblance  to  two  upper  tor 
toise  shells  of  equal  size,  joined  together  ;  the 
flue  of  entrance  into  the  vessel  being  repre 
sented  by  the  openings  made  by  the  swells  of 
the  shells  at  the  head  of  the  animal.  The 
inside  was  capable  of  containing  the  operator, 
and  air  sufficient  to  support  him  thirty  minutes, 
without  receiving  fresh  air.  At  the  bottom  op 
posite  to  the  entrance  was  fixed  a  quantity 
of  lead  for  ballast ;  at  one  edge,  which  was 
directly  before  the  operator,  who  sat  upright, 
was  an  oar  for  rowing  forward  or  backward  ; 
at  the  other  edge  was  a  rudder  for  steering. 
An  aperture,  at  the  bottom,  with  its  valve, 
was  designed  to  admit  water  for  the  purpose 
of  descending,  and  two  brass  forcing-pumps 
served  to  eject  the  water  within,  when  neces 
sary  for  ascending.  At  the  top  there  was  like 
wise  an  oar,  for  ascending  or  descending,  or 
continuing  at  any  particular  depth.  A  water- 
gauge  or  barometer  determined  the  depth  of 
descent ;  a  compass  directed  the  course,  and 
a  ventilator  within  supplied  the  vessel  with 
fresh  air,  when  on  the  surface.  The  entrance 


166  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

into  the  vessel  was  elliptical,  and  so  small  as 
barely  to  admit  one  person.  This  entrance 
was  surrounded  by  a  broad  elliptical  iron  band, 
the  lower  edge  of  which  was  let  into  the  wood 
whereof  the  body  of  the  vessel  was  made,  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  give  its  utmost  support 
to  the  body  of  the  vessel  against  the  pressure 
of  the  water.  Above  the  upper  edge  of  this 
iron  band  there  was  a  brass  crown  or  cover, 
resembling  a  hat  with  its  crown  and  brim, 
which  shut  water-tight  upon  the  iron  band. 
The  crown  was  hung  to  the  iron  band  with 
hinges,  so  as  to  turn  over  sideways  when 
opened.  To  make  it  perfectly  secure  when 
shut,  it  might  be  screwed  down  upon  the  band 
by  the  operator,  or  by  a  person  without. 

"  There  were  in  the  brass  crown  three  round 
doors,  one  directly  in  front  and  one  on  each 
side,  large  enough  to  put  the  hand  through. 
When  open  they  admitted  fresh  air.  Their 
shutters  were  ground  perfectly  tight  into  their 
places  with  emery,  and  were  hung  with  hinges 
and  secured  in  their  places  when  shut.  There 
were  likewise  several  glass  windows  in  the 
crown  for  looking  through  and  for  admitting 
light  in  the  daytime,  with  covers  to  secure 
them.  There  were  two  air-pipes  in  the  crown  ; 
a  ventilator  which  drew  fresh  air  through  one 
of  the  air-pipes,  and  discharged  it  into  the 
lower  part  of  the  vessel. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  167 

"  The  fresh  air  introduced  by  the  ventilator 
expelled  the  impure  air  through  the  other 
pipe.  Both  air-pipes  were  so  constructed  that 
they  shut  themselves,  whenever  the  water  rose 
near  their  tops,  so  that  no  water  could  enter 
through  them.  They  opened  themselves  im 
mediately  after  they  rose  above  the  water. 
The  vessel  was  chiefly  ballasted  with  lead 
fixed  to  its  bottom.  When  this  was  not  suffi 
cient,  a  quantity  was  placed  within,  more  or 
less,  according  to  the  weight  of  the  operator. 
Its  ballast  rendered  it  so  solid  that  there  was 
no  danger  of  its  oversetting.  The  vessel,  with 
all  its  appendages  and  the  operator,  was  of 
sufficient  weight  to  settle  it  low  in  the  water. 
About  two  hundred  pounds  of  the  lead  at  the 
bottom  for  ballast,  could  be  let  down  forty  or 
fifty  feet  below  the  vessel.  This  enabled  the 
operator  to  rise  instantly  to  the  surface  of  the 
water  in  case  of  accident. 

"  When  the  operator  desired  to  descend,  he 
placed  his  foot  upon  the  top  of  a  brass  valve, 
depressing  it,  by  which  he  opened  a  large 
aperture  in  the  bottom  of  the  vessel,  through 
which  the  water  entered  at  his  pleasure. 
When  he  had  admitted  a  sufficient  quantity, 
he  descended  very  gradually.  If  he  admitted 
too  large  a  quantity,  in  order  to  obtain  an 
equilibrium,  he  ejected  as  much  as  was  neces 
sary  by  the  two  brass  forcing-pumps  which 


i68  THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY 

were  placed  at  each  end.  Whenever  the  ves 
sel  leaked,  or  he  desired  to  ascend  to  the  sur 
face,  he  also  made  use  of  these  forcing-pumps. 
When  the  skilful  operator  had  obtained  an 
equilibrium,  he  could  row  upward  or  down 
ward,  or  continue  at  any  particular  depth, 
with  an  oar  placed  near  the  top  of  the  vessel, 
formed  upon  the  principle  of  the  screw,  the 
axis  of  the  oar  entering  the  vessel.  By  turn 
ing  the  oar  in  one  direction  he  raised  the 
vessel,  by  turning  it  the  other  way  he  de 
pressed  it.  A  glass  tube,  eighteen  inches 
long  and  one  inch  in  diameter,  standing 
upright,  its  upper  end  closed,  and  its  lower 
end,  which  was  open,  screwed  into  a  brass 
pipe,  through  which  the  external  water  had 
a  passage  into  the  glass  tube,  served  as  a 
water-gauge  or  barometer. 

"  There  was  a  piece  of  cork,  with  phospho 
rus  on  it,  put  into  the  water-gauge,  condensing 
the  air  within,  and  bearing  the  cork  on  its 
surface.  By  the  light  of  the  phosphorus,  the 
ascent  of  the  water  in  the  gauge  was  rendered 
visible,  and  the  depth  of  the  vessel  ascertained 
by  a  graduated  scale. 

"  An  oar  formed  on  the  principle  of  the 
screw  was  fixed  in  the  fore  part  of  the  vessel  ; 
its  axis  entered  the  vessel,  and,  being  turned 
in  one  direction,  rowed  the  vessel  forward  ; 
but  being  turned  in  the  other,  rowed  back- 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  169 

ward.  It  was  constructed  to  be  turned  by  the 
hand  or  foot. 

"  A  rudder  to  the  hinder  part  of  the  vessel, 
which  commanded  it  with  the  greatest  ease, 
was  made  very  elastic,  and  might  be  used  for 
rowing  forward.  The  tiller  was  within  the 
vessel,  at  the  operator's  right  hand,  fixed  at 
a  right  angle  on  an  iron  rod  which  passed 
through  the  vessel. 

"  A  compass  marked  with  phosphorus  di 
rected  the  course  above  and  under  water. 

"  The  internal  shape  of  the  vessel,  in  every 
possible  section  of  it,  verged  toward  an  ellip 
sis,  as  near  as  the  design  would  allow ;  but 
every  horizontal  section,  although  elliptical, 
was  yet  as  near  to  a  circle  as  could  be  ad 
mitted. 

"  The  body  of  the  vessel  was  made  exceed 
ingly  strong  ;  a  firm  piece  of  wood  was  framed 
parallel  to  the  conjugate  diameter,  to  prevent 
the  sides  from  yielding  to  the  great  pressure 
of  the  incumbent  water  in  a  deep  immersion. 
This  piece  of  wood  was  also  a  seat  for  the 
operator. 

"  Every  opening  was  well  secured.  The 
pumps  had  two  sets  of  valves.  The  aper 
ture  at  the  bottom  for  admitting  water  was 
covered  with  a  plate  perforated  full  of  holes, 
to  receive  the  water  and  prevent  anything 
from  closing  the  passage  or  stopping  the  valve 


1 70  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

from  shutting.  The  brass  valve  might  like 
wise  be  forced  into  its  place  with  a  screw. 
The  air-pipes  had  a  kind  of  hollow  sphere 
_fixed  round  the  top  of  each,  to  secure  the 
air-pipe  valves  from  injury.  These  hollow 
spheres  were  perforated  full  of  holes  for  the 
passage  of  air  through  the  pipes  ;  within  the 
air-pipes  were  shutters  to  secure  them,  should 
any  accident  happen  to  the  pipes  or  the  valves 
on  their  tops.  All  the  joints  were  exactly 
made,  and  were  water-tight. 

"  Particular  attention  was  given  to  bring 
every  part  necessary  to  performing  the  opera 
tion,  both,  within  and  without  the  vessel,  be 
fore  the  operator,  so  that  everything  might  be 
found  in  the  dark.  Nothing  required  the  op 
erator  to  turn  to  the  right  hand  or  the  left. 

"  DESCRIPTION  OF  A  MAGAZINE  AND  ITS  APPEND 
AGES  DESIGNED  TO  BE  CONVEYED  BY  THE  SUB 
MARINE  VESSEL  TO  THE  BOTTOM  OF  A  SHIP. 

"In  the  fore  part  of  the  brim  of  the  crown 
of  the  vessel  was  a  socket,  and  an  iron  tube 
passing  through  the  socket ;  the  tube  stood 
upright,  and  could  slide  up  and  down  six 
inches.  At  the  top  of  the  tube  was  a  wood- 
screw,  fixed  by  means  of  a  rod,  which  passed 
through  the  tube  and  screwed  the  wood-screw 
fast  upon  the  top  of  the  tube.  By  pushing 
the  wood-screw  up  against  the  bottom  of  a 


OF 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  171 

ship,  and  turning  it  at  the  same  time,  it  would 
enter  the  planks.  When  the  wood-screw  was 
firmly  fixed,  it  could  be  cast  off  by  unscrewing 
the  rod  which  fastened  it  upon  the  top  of  the 
tube. 

"  Behind  the  vessel  was  a  place,  above  the 
rudder,  for  carrying  a  large  powder  magazine. 
This  was  made  of  two  pieces  of  oak  timber, 
large  enough,  when  hollowed  out,  to  contain 
an  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  powder,  with 
the  apparatus  used  in  firing  it.  A  rope  ex 
tended  from  the  magazine  to  the  wood-screw 
above  mentioned  ;  when  the  wood-screw  was 
fixed,  and  to  be  cast  off  from  its  tube,  the 
magazine  was  to  be  cast  off  likewise,  leaving 

o  o 

it  hanging  to  the  wood-screw.  It  was  lighter 
than  water,  that  it  might  rise  up  against  the 
object  to  which  the  screw  and  itself  were  fast 
ened. 

"  Within  the  magazine  was  a  clock,  con 
structed  to  run  any  proposed  length  of  time 
under  twelve  hours  ;  when  it  had  run  out  its 
time,  it  unpinioned  a  strong  lock,  resembling 
a  gun-lock,  which  gave  fire  to  the  powder. 
This  apparatus  was  so  pinioned  that  it  could 
not  possibly  move  till,  by  casting  off  the  mag 
azine  from  the  vessel,  it  was  set  in  motion. 

"  The  skilful  operator  could  swim  so  low  on 
the  surface  as  to  approach  very  near  a  ship  in 
the  night  without  fear  of  being  discovered, 


172  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

and  might,  if  he  chose,  approach  the  stem  or 
stern  with  very  little  danger.  He  could  sink 
very  quickly,  keep  at  any  necessary  depth, 
and  row  a  great  distance  in  any  direction  he 
desired  without  coining  to  the  surface.  When 
he  rose  to  the  surface  he  could  soon  obtain  a 
fresh  supply  of  air,  and,  if  necessary,  he  might 
then  descend  again  and  pursue  his  course. 


"EXPERIMENTS  MADE  TO  PROVE  THE  NATURE  AND 
USE  OF  A  SUBMARINE  VESSEL. 

"  The  first  experiment  I  made  was  with 
about  two  ounces  of  powder,  which  I  exploded 
four  feet  under  water,  to  prove  to  some  of  the 
first  personages  in  Connecticut  that  powder 
would  take  fire  under  water. 

"  The  second  experiment  was  made  with  two 
pounds  of  powder,  enclosed  in  a  wooden  bot 
tle,  and  fired  under  a  hogshead,  with  a  two- 
inch  oak  plank  between  the  hogshead  and  the 
powder;  the  hogshead  was  loaded  with  stones, 
as  deep  as  it  could  swim.  A  wooden  pipe, 
descending  through  the  lower  head  of  the 
hogshead  and  through  the  plank  into  the  pow 
der  contained  in  the  bottle,  was  primed  with 
powder.  A  match  put  to  the  priming  ex 
ploded  the  powder  with  a  great  effect,  rend 
ing  the  plank  into  pieces,  demolishing  the 
hogshead,  and  casting  the  stones  and  ruins 


THE  HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  173 

of  the  hogshead,  with  a  body  of  water,  many 
feet  into  the  air,  to  the  astonishment  of  the 
spectators.  This  experiment  was  likewise 
made  for  the  satisfaction  of  the  gentlemen 
above  mentioned. 

"  I  afterwards  made  many  experiments  of  a 
similar  nature,  some  with  large  quantities  of 
powder. 

"  In  the  first  essays  with  the  submarine  ves 
sel,  I  took  care  to  prove  its  strength  to  sus 
tain  the  great  pressure  of  the  incumbent  wa 
ter,  when  sunk  deep,  before  I  trusted  any 
person  to  descend  much  below  the  surface ; 
and  I  never  suffered  any  person  to  go  under 
water  without  having  a  strong  piece  of  rig 
ging  made  fast  to  it,  until  I  found  him  well 
acquainted  with  the  operations  necessary  for 
his  safety.  After  that  I  made  him  descend 
and  continue  at  particular  depths  without  ris 
ing  or  sinking  ;  row  by  the  compass  ;  approach 
a  vessel  ;  go  under  her,  and  fix  the  wood-screw 
into  her  bottom,  etc.,  until  I  thought  him 
sufficiently  expert  to  put  my  design  into  exe 
cution.  I  found,  agreeably  to  my  expecta 
tions,  that  it  required  many  trials  to  make  a 
person  of  common  ingenuity  a  skilful  opera 
tor.  The  first  I  employed  was  very  ingenious, 
and  made  himself  master  of  the  business,  but 
was  taken  sick  in  the  campaign  of  1776,  at 
New  York,  before  he  had  an  opportunity  to 


174  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

make  use  of  his  skill,  and  never  recovered  his 
health  sufficiently  afterwards. 

"  After  various  attempts. to  find  an  operator 
to  my  wish,  I  sent  one  who  appeared  more 
expert  than  the  rest  from  New  York,  to  a  fifty- 
gun  ship,  lying  near  Governor's  Island.  He 
went  under  the  ship  and  attempted  to  fasten 
the  wood-screw  into  her  bottom,  but  struck, 
as.he  supposes,  a  bar  of  iron.  Not  being  well 
skilled  in  the  management  of  the  vessel,  in 
attempting  to  move  to  another  place,  he  lost 
the  ship,  and  after  seeking  her  in  vain  for 
some  time  he  rowed  some  distance  and  rose 
to  the  surface  of  the  water,  but  found  day 
light  had  advanced  so  far,  that  he  durst  not 
renew  the  attempt.  On  his  return  from  the 
ship  to  New  York,  he  passed  near  Governor's 
Island,  and  thought  he  was  discovered  by  the 
enemy ;  he  cast  off  the  magazine,  as  he  imag 
ined  it  retarded  him  in  the  swell,  which  was 
very  considerable. 

"  After  it  had  been  cast  off  one  hour,  the 
time  the  internal  apparatus  was  set  to  run,  it 
blew  up  with  great  violence. 

"  Afterwards,  there  were  two  attempts  made 
in  Hudson's  River,  above  the  city,  but  they 
effected  nothing.  Soon  after  this  the  enemy 
went  up  the  river,  and  pursued  the  vessel 
which  had  the  submarine  boat  on  board,  and 
sunk  it  with  their  shot.  Though  I  afterwards 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  175 

recovered  the  vessel,  I  found  it  impossible  to 
prosecute  the  design  any  further.  I  had  been 
in  a  bad  state  of  health  from  the  beginning  of 
my  undertaking,  and  was  now  very  ill.  The 
situation  of  public  affairs  was  such,  that  I 
despaired  of  obtaining  the  public  attention 
and  assistance  necessary.  I  therefore  gave 
over  the  pursuit  for  that  time  and  waited  for 
a  more  favorable  opportunity,  which  never 
arrived. 

"In  the  year  1777,  I  made  an  attempt  from  a 
whale-boat  against  the  Cerberus  frigate,  then 
lying  at  anchor  between  Connecticut  River  and 
New  London,  by  throwing  a  machine  against 
her  side  by  means  of  a  line.  The  machine 
was  loaded  with  powder  to  be  exploded  by 
a  gun-lock,  which  was  to  be  unpinioned  by 
an  apparatus,  to  be  turned  by  being  brought 
alongside  of  the  frigate.  This  machine  fell 
in  with  a  schooner  at  anchor,  astern  of  the 
frigate,  and  concealed  from  my  sight.  By 
some  means  or  other  it  was  fired,  and  de 
molished  the  schooner  and  three  men,  and 
blew  the  only  one  left  alive  overboard,  who 
was  taken  up  very  much  hurt. 

"  After  this,  I  fixed  several  kegs  under 
water  charged  with  powder,  to  explode  upon 
touching  anything  as  they  floated  along  with 
the  tide.  I  set  them  afloat  in  the  Delaware, 
above  the  English  shipping  at  Philadelphia,  in 


176  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

December,  i  777.  I  was  unacquainted  with  the 
river  and  obliged  to  depend  upon  a  gentleman 
very  imperfectly  acquainted  with  that  part  of 
it,  as  I  afterwards  found.  We  went  as  near 
the  shipping  as  we  durst  venture.  I  believe 
the  darkness  of  the  night  greatly  deceived 
him,  as  it  did  me.  We  set  them  adrift,  to  fall 
with  the  ebb  upon  the  shipping.  Had  we 
been  within  sixty  rods,  I  believe  they  must 
have  fallen  in  with  them  immediately,  as  I 
designed ;  but  as  I  afterwards  found,  they 
were  set  adrift  much  too  far  distant,  and  did 
not  arrive  until  after  being  detained  some  time 
by  the  frost  ;  they  advanced  in  the  daytime 
in  a  dispersed  situation  and  under  great  dis 
advantages. 

"  One  of  them  blew  up  a  boat  with  several 
persons  in  it,  who  imprudently  handled  it  too 
freely,  and  thus  gave  the  British  that  alarm 
which  brought  on  the  '  Battle  of  the  Kegs.' 
The  above  vessel,  magazine,  etc.,  were  pro 
jected  in  the  year  1771,  but  not  completed 
until  the  year  1775. 

"  D.     BUSHNELL." 

The  man  who  handled  the  submarine  boat 
in  New  York  harbor  was  Sergeant  Ezra  Lee, 
and  the  ship  mentioned  was  the  sixty-four-gun 
liner  Eagle.  It  is  a  great  pity  that  a  full  record 
of  Bushnell's  experiments  and  of  the  experi- 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  177 

ences  of  Sergeant  Ezra  Lee,  who  handled  the 
strange  craft,  was  not  made  for  the  benefit  of 
subsequent  inventors,  because  much  useless 
labor  would  have  been  saved.  For  instance, 
every  inventor  who  has  since  worked  on  the 
idea  has  had  to  learn  for  himself  that  it  is 
utterly  impossible  to  see  through  the  water 
after  he  has  been  once  submerged,  while  other 
matters  of  little  less  importance  have  been 
worked  out  over  and  again. 

The  attack  on  the  Cerberus  mentioned  above 
was  described  by  the  British  captain  as  fol 
lows  : 

"  Wednesday  night,  being  at  anchor  to  the 
westward  of  New  London,  in  Black  Point  Bay, 
the  schooner  I  had  taken,  at  anchor  close  by 
me,  astern,  about  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  we 
discovered  a  line  towing  astern  that  came  from 
the  bows  ;  we  immediately  conjectured  that  it 
was  somebody  that  had  veered  himself  away 
by  it,  and  began  to  haul  in  ;  we  then  found 
that  the  schooner  had  got  hold  of  it  (who  had 
taken  it  for  a  fishing  line),  gathered  it  near 
fifteen  fathom,  which  was  buoyed  up  by  little 
bits  of  sticks  at  stated  distances,  until  he  came 
to  the  end,  at  which  was  fastened  a  machine, 
which  was  too  heavy  for  one  man  to  haul  up, 
being  upwards  of  100  cwt.  ;  the  other  people 
of  the  boat  turning  out,  assisted  him,  got  it 
upon  deck,  and  were  unfortunately  examining 


12 


178  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

it  too  curiously,  when  it  went  off  like  the 
sound  of  a  gun,  blew  the  boat  to  pieces,  and  set 
her  in  a  flame,  killed  the  three  men  that  were 
in  the  stern  ;  the  fourth,  who  was  standing 
forward,  was  blown  into  the  water  ;  I  hoisted 
out  the  boat,  and  picked  him  up  much  hurt  ; 
as  soon  as  he  could  recollect  himself,  he  gave 
me  the  following  description,  as  near  as  he 
could  remember.  It  was  two  vessels  shaped 
like  a  boat,  about  twenty  inches  long,  and  a 
foot  broad,  secured  to  each  other  at  the  dis 
tance  of  four  feet,  by  two  iron  bars,  one  at 
each  end,  and  an  iron  tube  or  gun-barrel  in 
the  centre,  which  was  loose  (as  he  had  himself 
turned  it  round  with  his  hand)  ;  they  swam 
one  over  the  other,  the  upper  one  keel  up 
wards  ;  the  lower  swam  properly,  but  was  so 
under  water  as  just  to  keep  the  upper  one  a 
few  inches  above  the  surface  ;  to  the  after  iron 
bar  hung  a  flat  board,  to  which  was  fixed  a 
wheel  about  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  com 
municated  itself  to  one  on  the  upper  side  of 
the  boat,  of  a  lesser  diameter;  opposite  to 
these  was  another  wheel,  on  the  flat  of  the 
under  one  or  loaded  vessel,  which  had  like 
wise  communication  with  the  wheels  of  the 
upper  boat  ;  it  was  covered  with  lead,  and  the 
keel  heavily  loaded  in  order  to  keep  it  down 
in  the  water. 

"  The    fatal    curiosity   of   the    seamen   (who 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  179 

unfortunately  had  been  bred  in  working  in 
iron)  set  this  wheel  agoing,  which  it  did  with 
great  ease  backwards  and  forwards,  and  during 
their  looking  at  it,  which  was  about  five  min 
utes  from  the  time  of  its  being  first  put  in 
motion,  it  burst.  Upon  examining  round  the 
ship  after  this  accident,  we  found  the  other 
part  of  the  line  on  the  larboard  side  buoyed 
up  in  the  same  manner,  which  I  ordered  to  be 
cut  away  immediately  for  fear  of  hauling  up 
another  machine,  which  I  concluded  was  fast 
at  the  end,  and  might  burst  when  near  the 
ship. 

"  The  mode  these  villains  must  have  taken 
to  have  swiftered  the  ship,  must  have  been  to 
have  rowed  off  in  the  stream  a  considerable 
distance  ahead  of  the  ship,  leaving  one  of  their 
internals  in  shore,  and  floating  the  other  at  the 
distance  of  the  line,  which,  from  the  quantity 
that  we  have  got  on  board  (near  70  fathoms), 
and  what  the  man  tells  me  they  saved  in  the 
schooner,  which  was  upwards  of  150  fathoms 
more,  must  have  been  near  300  fathom  ;  they 
at  the  length  of  this  line  put  the  other  in  the 
water,  and  left  it  for  the  tide  to  float  down, 
which  in  this  place  runs  very  strong. 

"  As  the  ingenuity  of  these  people  is  singu 
lar  in  their  secret  modes  of  mischief,  and  as  I 
presume  this  is  their  first  essay,  I  have  thought 
it  indispensably  my  duty  to  return  and  give 


i8o  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

you  the  earliest  information  of  the  circum 
stances,  to  prevent  the  like  fatal  accident  hap 
pening  to  any  of  the  advanced  ships  that  may 
possibly  be  swiftered  in  the  same  manner,  and 
to  forbid  all  seamen  from  attempting  hauling 
the  line,  or  bringing  the  vessel  near  the  ship, 
as  it  is  filled  with  that  kind  of  combustible 
that  burns  though  in  the  water. 

"  I  am,  sir,  etc., 

"J.   SYMONS." 

David  Bushnell  was  born  in  Saybrook  (now 
Westbrook),  Connecticut,  in  the  year  1742. 
He  entered  Yale  College  in  1771,  and  gradu 
ated  in  1775.  During  his  collegiate  career 
he  turned  his  attention  to  submarine  warfare, 
and  after  leaving  college  devoted  his  time  and 
patrimony  entirely  to  the  subject.  He  was 
noted  for  his  studious  habits,  great  inventive 
genius,  and  eccentricity.  The  unfortunate 
issue  of  his  projects  rendered  him  very  de 
jected.  Disappointed  by  his  failures  and  the 
neglect  of  the  government,  he  went  to  France 

o  o 

at  the  close  of  the  war,  where  he  remained  for 
a  number  of  years,  when  he  returned  and  set 
tled  in  Georgia,  under  the  assumed  name  of 
Dr.  Bush,  desiring  thus  to  conceal  his  identity 
and  connection  with  the  early  efforts  of  his 
life.  There  he  was  placed  at  the  head  of  one 
of  the  most  respectable  schools  in  the  State, 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


181 


but  subsequently  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
medicine,  by  which  he  amassed  a  considerable 
fortune.  He  was  much  beloved  and  respected 
by  all  who  knew  him,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
ninety  years,  in  the  year  1826.  By  his  will 
his  proper  name  became  known  ;  his  executors 
were  required  to  make  inquiries  in  the  town  of 
Saybrook  for  persons  of  the  blood  and  family 
of  Bushnell,  and  whoever  in  the  opinion  of 
the  executors  was  found  to  be  most  worthy, 
on  the  score  of  moral  worth,  should  be  re 
garded  as  the  sole  legatee.  But  should  none 
of  the  kindred  be  found  to  fulfil  the  condition 
set  forth  in  the  will,  the  estate  was  to  be  trans 
ferred  to  Franklin  College,  Georgia.  Lega 
tees  were  found  in  Connecticut. 

The  loss  of  the  American  frigate  Hancock 
of  thirty- 
two  guns 
followed 
the  capture 
of  the  two 
v  al u  ab 1 e 
transports 
off  New 
York.  Itwas 

in  May  that  the  Hancock,  under  Capt.  John 
Manly  (he  who  in  the  Massachusetts  schooner 
Lee  worked  such  havoc  on  the  British  store- 
ships  off  Boston  in  1775),  sailed  from  Boston 


Signatures  of  John   Manly  and  Hector  McNeil. 


182  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

on  a  cruise,  having  in  company  the  Boston  of 
twenty-four  guns  under  Capt.  Hector  McNeil. 
When  four  days  out  they  overhauled  a  strange 
sail,  and  Captain  Manly,  after  a  bit  of  veering 
to  and  fro  to  determine  the  enemy's  speed  and 
power,  gave  him  a  broadside.  At  this  the 
stranger  tried  to  run  for  it,  and  with  stern 
chasers  strove  to  disable  the  Plancocks  rigging. 
But  the  Hancock  was  then  one  of  the  swiftest 
American  ships,  and  Captain  Manly  held  his 
fire  until  alongside,  when  he  gave  him  a 
broadside. 

Although  manifestly  of  inferior  strength, 
the  enemy  fought  back  bravely  for  an  hour, 
and  then,  the  Boston  having  arrived  within 
range,  he  struck  his  colors.  It  proved  to  be 
the  frigate  Fox  of  twenty-eight  guns,  Captain 
Fotheringham.  The  Hancock  lost  eight  in 
killed  and  wounded,  and  the  Fox  thirty-two. 

Having  placed  a  prize  crew  on  the  Fox,  Cap 
tain  Manly  made  the  mistake  of  sailing  too 
close  to  Halifax,  the  principal  British  naval 
station  in  America.  Here,  on  June  ist,  he  fell 
in  with  three  British  ships,  the  Rainbow  of 
forty-four  guns,  commanded  by  Sir  George 
Collier  ;  the  frigate  Flora  of  thirty-two  guns, 
and  the  sloop-of-war  Victor  of  eighteen  guns. 

When  the  enemy  was  discovered  the  Boston 
was  well  out  to  sea,  and  having  the  weather 
gauge,  she  down  with  her  helm  and  sailed 


^*™      ^    &    J^s*/i+**+*&4  /Z^**« 


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-L**n*    <v* 

n  4/-rtf2*2?f   /?l*4b>^.0. 
^\a   .<£*sy^*iy  Ist+^td—-* 


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i7f-  -&r—-  sr  fuvh-as 

[Over] 

Facsimile  of  a  Letter  from  Thomas  Jefferson  to  Captain  McNeil. 


[84  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 


A*S  J%<rli4»  -  v>d*£ 


away.  The  Hancock  and  the  Fox  were  close 
in  shore,  and  they  were  soon  hard  pressed. 
Manly,  seeing  himself  deserted,  at  once  began 
throwing  overboard  all  unnecessary  weights, 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  185 

and  so  lightened  his  ship  that  he  was  in  a  fair 
way  to  escape,  when  the  wind  failed  him,  al 
though  the  enemy  still  held  enough  to  draw 
within  easy  range  and  in  a  position  to  rake. 
He  was  thus  under  the  guns  of  the  Rainbow 
of  forty-four  guns  and  the  Victor  of  twenty, 
and  could  not  turn  his  ship  in  any  direction. 
Of  course  he  surrendered. 

Meantime  the  Flora  had  recaptured  the  Fox, 
although  the  prize  crew,  few  as  they  were  in 
number,  made  a  good  fight. 

It  was  the  belief  of  Captain  Manly  that  had 
the  Boston  come  down  to  engage  the  Flora 
and  so  pitched  the  Victor  against  the  Fox,  he 
would  have  been  able  to  account  for  the  Rain 
bow,  and  when  the  affair  came  before  Congress 
Captain  Manly's  view  prevailed,  and  Captain 
McNeil  was  dismissed  from  the  service  for 
running  away. 

On  the  theory  that  ships  are  sent  to  sea  to 
fight  to  the  last  gasp,  the  fate  of  Captain 
McNeil  was  merited,  even  though  one  promi 
nent  naval  historian  tries  to  justify  his  con 
duct.  Had  a  Biddle  or  a  John  Paul  Jones  had 
the  Boston,  one  can  well  believe  that  the  whole 
British  squadron  would  have  been  carried  into 
port. 

As  for  Manly,  it  must  be  told  that,  in  spite 
of  the  record  he  had  made  when  he  was  in  the 
service  of  Massachusetts — a  record  that  had 


1 86  .      THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

induced  Congress  to  put  him  third  on  the  list 
of  captains  when  it  made  its  first  revision  of 
the  list — he  was  permitted  to  leave  the  navy 
for  the  privateer  service  after  he  was  exchanged 
and  returned  to  port. 

The  naval  record  for  1778  opens  in  Janu 
ary,  when,  on  the  27th,  in  the  Providence, 
armed  with  twelve  four-pounders,  Capt.  John 
P.  Rathburne  descended  on  New  Providence 
island  in  the  Bahamas.  He  landed  at  1 1 
o'clock  at  night  with  twenty-five  men  (half  of 
his  crew)  and  released  thirty  odd  American 
prisoners  confined  on  shore.  Then  he  captured 
Fort  Nassau  with  its  cannon  and  ammunition 
and  300  stand  of  muskets.  At  daylight  he 
captured,  without  a  fight,  an  armed  vessel  of 
sixteen  guns,  together  with  five  merchantmen 
and  another  fort  A  British  sloop-of-war  (ship) 
having  appeared  off  the  port,  she  was  fired  on 
from  the  shore,  when  she  made  haste  to  sail 
away. 

After  holding  the  place  two  days  and  get 
ting  all  the  portable  munitions  of  war  on  board 
and  spiking  the  cannon,  Captain  Rathburne 
burned  two  of  the  prizes  and  carried  four  home. 

The  loss  of  one  of  the  new  American  frigates 
which  the  Congress  had  ordered,  the  Virginia, 
of  twenty-eight  guns,  followed.  She  was  com 
ing  down  Chesapeake  Bay  and  grounded  at 
night.  In  the  morning  two  British  warships 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


187 


A  Typical  Nassau  Fort -Fort  Fincastle. 
From  a  photograph  by  Rau. 

were  seen  near  by,  and  her  commander,  Capt. 
James  Nicholson,  with  his  crew,  took  to  the 
boats  and  escaped  ashore.  The  congressional 
inquiry  that  followed  cleared  Nicholson  of 
blame.  It  is  said  that  he  went  ashore  not  to 
escape  a  fight,  but  because  of  very  important 
papers  he  was  carrying. 


1 88  THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

The  next  exploit  of  note  was  that  of  Capt. 
John  Barry,  who,  while  in  command  of  the 
brig  Lexington,  had  had  an  honorable  career. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  the  command  of  the 
Effingham,  then  building  in  the  Delaware,  was 
given  to  him  and  that  the  British  captured 
Philadelphia  before  the  ship  could  get  away 
to  sea.  To  keep  the  ship  out  of  the  British 
hands  she  was  moved  up  the  river  to  White 
Hill,  New  Jersey,  and  by  order  of  Mr.  Hopkin- 
son  of  the  Navy  Board  was  sunk.  Barry  and 
Hopkinson  had  a  very  loud  dispute  over  the 
sinking  of  the  Effingham,  for  Barry  was  confi 
dent  that,  with  the  ten  guns  already  on  board 
and  the  thirteen  guns  on  the  frigate  Washing 
ton  that  was  in  company  with  her,  a  good  fight 
could  be  made  against  any  of  the  force  the 
British  were  able  to  send.  Hopkinson  be 
came  personal  in  his  remarks,  and  Barry's 
Irish  blood  got  hot,  and  some  things  not  quite 
courteous  were  said  in  return  ;  but  Barry,  to 
his  great  disgust,  had  to  sink  the  ship,  and 
afterwards,  on  the  order  of  Congress,  with 
draw  the  offensive  remarks,  although  time  had 
proved  him  entirely  right  in  the  matter  of 
sinking  the  ship. 

However,  while  charges  were  pending 
against  him  in  this  matter,  he  led  a  boat 
expedition  down  the  river,  carrying  four  row- 
boats  manned  by  twenty-seven  men,  all  told, 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  189 

past  the  British  ships  and  soldiers  at  Phila 
delphia,  and  arrived  safely  off  Port  Penn, 
which  was  then  in  the  hands  of  the  Americans. 
On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  lay  two  ships, 
the  Mermaid  and  the  Kitty,  with  two  others 
not  named,  laden  under  convoy  of  the  large 
schooner  Alert  armed  with  ten  guns.  The 
ships  were  loaded  with  food  supplies  for  the 
British  at  Philadelphia. 

The  run  past  Philadelphia  had  been  made 
at  night,  of  course,  and  so  Port  Penn  was 
reached  in  broad  daylight.  But  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  the  British  were  already  astir  and 
the  Americans  in  plain  view,  Barry  with  his 
gallant  band  made  a  dash  at  the  schooner,  and 
before  the  British  could  rally  for  a  defence 
clambered  over  the  rail,  cutlass  in  hand. 

At  that  the  British  dropped  everything  and 
fled  below,  leaving  Barry  to  put  on  the  hatches 
and  keep  them  there.  In  view  of  the  many  oc 
casions  on  which  the  British  historians  charge 
the  American  sailors  with  cowardice  it  must 
be  told  here  that  this  "  wild  Irishman  "  with 
his  twenty-seven  men  beat  down  under  the 
hatches  one  major,  two  captains,  three  lieu 
tenants,  ten  soldiers,  and  100  seamen  and 
marines — he  captured  116  armed  men  with 
just  twenty-seven. 

When  he  had  secured  them  he  stripped 
and  burned  the  transports,  and  carried  the 


1 9o  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

schooner  over  to  Port  Penn.  This  was  on 
February  26,  1778. 

The  British  sent  a  frigate  and  a  sloop-of- 
war  down  the  river  to  recapture  the  schooner, 
and  so,  finding  he  could  not  get  her  away  to 
sea,  Barry  was  obliged  to  destroy  the  vessel, 
which  he  did  by  pointing  his  guns  down  her 
hatch  and  shooting  holes  through  her  bottom. 
But  he  had  in  the  meantime  for  two  months 
patrolled  the  lower  Delaware  and  cut  off  the 
British  supplies  to  such  an  extent  that  there 
was  actual  suffering  in  the  British  camp.  He 
gave  them  a  taste,  at  least,  of  what  Washing 
ton's  brave  hosts  were  suffering  that  winter  at 
Valley  Forge.  He  returned  to  White  Hill 
by  travelling  through  the  forest  that  then 
surrounded  Philadelphia. 

Having  by  this  effort  once  more  commanded 
the  attention  of  the  authorities,  he  was  sent  to 
the  Raleigh  at  Boston,  and  on  September  25, 
1778,  sailed  away  with  two  merchant  ships  in 
convoy.  Three  days  later  he  was  a  wanderer 
in  the  unbroken  forests  of  Maine. 

The  little  fleet  got  to  sea  early  in  the  morning. 
At  noon  two  sails  were  seen  in  the  south,  and 
Captain  Barry,  after  signalling  the  convoy  to 
steer  close-hauled,  ran  down  for  a  look  at  the 
strangers.  Because  the  wind  was  light  it  took 
him  the  whole  of  the  afternoon  to  learn  their 
character,  but  at  sundown  he  found  they  were 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


191 


two  English  frigates.  At  this  Captain  Barry 
ordered  the  merchantmen  back  to  port,  cleared 
his  ship  for  action,  and  thereafter  for  forty- 
eight  hours  engaged  in  a  game  of  hide-ancl- 
seek  with  the  enemy  wherein  he  had,  now  and 
again,  the  darkness  of  night,  the  horizon,  and 
sundry  fog-banks  to  conceal  him. 


An   English   Frigate  of  Forty   Guns. 
From  an  engraving  by  Verico. 

On  sending  the  merchantmen  toward  port 
Barry  took  that  course  himself,  until  the  dark 
ness  wholly  enveloped  the  enemy,  when  he 
again  resumed  his  course.  At  dawn  next  day 
he  found  himself  in  a  fog,  and  during  the  fore 
noon  nothing  could  be  seen,  but  at  noon  the 
f-og  disappeared,  and  then  the  enemy  were  again 
seen  to  the  south  on  a  course  parallel  to  Barry's. 


192  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

Seeing  this,  Barry  came  up  close-hauled  and 
crowded  on  all  sail,  while  the  enemy  came  on 
in  like  dress  until  3  or  4  o'clock,  when  another 
fog  shut  them  from  view.  Then  Barry  headed 
away  eastwardly  with  a  free  wind,  and  ran  so 
until  daylight  on  the  27th,  when  he  furled  the 
canvas  and  let  her  drift  under  bare  poles  until 
6  o'clock,  while  he  searched  the  horizon  for 
the  frigates. 

Having  seen  nothing,  Captain  Barry  made 
sail,  and  held  a  course  to  the  southeast  until 
9.30,  when  he  again  saw  the  enemy.  At  this 
he  came  up  to  the  wind,  tacked  about,  and 
heading  away  to  the  northwest  with  "  a  stag 
gering  breeze,"  the  Raleigh  made  "  1 1  knots 
and  2  fathoms  on  a  dragged  bowline,"  per 
hour. 

That  was  a  pace  that  the  Englishmen  could 
not  hold,  and  the  Raleigh  soon  dropped  them 
behind  the  horizon,  but  at  noon  the  Raleigh 
ran  out  of  the  streak  of  wind,  as  a  sailor  might 
say,  while  the  enemy  were  still  holding  it. 

The  leader  of  the  frigates  rapidly  overhauled 
the  Raleigh  after  that,  and  at  4  in  the  after 
noon  the  Raleigh  tacked  to  the  west  to  see 
what  the  force  of  the  leader  was.  Captain 
Barry  hoped  he  might  make  a  good  fight  with 
her  single-handed  before  the  other  could  come 
up,  and  at  5  in  the  afternoon  "  the  Raleigh 
edged  away,  brailing  her  mizzen  and  taking  in 


THE    HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY  193 

her  staysails."  Crossing  the  enemy's  bows,  the 
Raleigh  dropped  down  abreast  of  him,  and  set 
the  American  ensign.  The  frigate,  showing 
fourteen  gains  on  a  side,  hoisted  the  kind's 

o  o 

flag,  and  then  the  Raleigh  gave  her  a  broad 
side.  She  replied  swiftly,  and  at  the  second 
fire  had  the  good  fortune  to  carry  away  the 
Raleigh  s  foretopmast  and  mizzen-topgallant- 
mast.  She  was  now  able  to  outsail  the  Raleigh, 
and  so  shot  ahead  to  get  clear  of  the  too  hot 
fire  of  the  Yankee,  and  then  began  to  fire  at 
long  range  while  Captain  Barry  was  clearing 
away  the  wreck  aloft.  Once  the  wreckage 
was  down,  however,  Barry  bore  up  and  strove 
to  get  alongside  and  board,  but  with  her  supe 
rior  canvas  the  frigate  avoided  this.  Mean 
time  the  other  ship  was  coming  near,  and 
Captain  Barry,  finding  he  could  not,  in  his 
crippled  condition,  maintain  a  fight  with  two, 
decided  to  run  his  ship  ashore  on  some  islands 
that  were  visible,  for  the  fight  was  made  off 
the  coast  of  Maine. 

And  then  night  came  on  with  a  still  fading 
breeze.  The  Raleigh,  with  all  sail  set,  headed 
for  the  coast.  The  frigates  followed,  and  until 
midnight  the  two  ships  drifted  along  with  the 
red  flames  spurting  from  their  sides,  and  the 
nearing  cliffs  echoing  to  the  thunder  of  the 
conflict. 

At  12  o'clock  the  enemy  hauled  off  for  a 
13 


i94  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

brief  interval,  but  the  other  ship  having  come 
up,  the  two  renewed  the  conflict,  and  then  the 
Raleigh  grounded. 

The  enemy  now  took  positions  on  the 
Ralcighs  quarter.  Captain  Barry  kept  the 
four  stern  chasers  working,  but  lowered  his 
boats  forward  and  went  ashore  with  a  lot  of 
his  men  to  fortify  the  island  on  which  he  had 
grounded,  being  determined  to  fire  his  ship 
and  resist  capture  in  any  event.  But  while 
he  was  away  a  frightened  petty  officer  hauled 
down  the  flag. 

The  Raleigh  was  eventually  put  into  the 
British  navy,  but  Captain  Barry  and  his  men  on 
the  island  escaped  to  the  mainland.  The  ship 
that  made  so  good  a  fight  against  the  Raleigh 
was  the  Unicorn,  of  twenty-eight  guns.  Her 
consort  was  the  Experiment,  of  fifty.  The 
Americans  lost  twenty-five  killed  and  wounded, 
and  the  Unicorn  ten  killed  and  an  unknown 
number  of  wounded — probably  twenty-five  or 
thirty. 

On  the  whole,  the  years  1777  and  1778  were 
disastrous,  and  the  record  was,  in  a  sense,  to 
the  discredit  of  the  American  navy.  Two 
captains  were,  indeed,  dropped  from  the  naval 
list  for  failing  to  support  the  flag,  and  where 
they  failed  the  record  was  in  part  only  made 
good  by  the  heroism  of  the  others.  Of  the 
thirteen  frigates  which  the  Congress  decided 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  195 

to  build  in  December,  1775,  but  four  remained. 
Some  were  lost  at  sea,  as  already  described, 
and  the  rest  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  British 
through  the  operations  of  the  land  forces. 

But  if  we  compare  the  American  forces  with 
those  of  the  English,  the  wonder  is  that  the 
Americans  were  able  to  keep  the  flag  afloat  at 
all,  for  the  British  navy  in  American  waters 
in  1778  numbered  eighty-nine  ships  mounting 
2,576  guns,  while  the  Americans  had  fourteen 
ships  mounting  332  guns.  And  what  is  of 
more  importance,  the  British  ships  were  at  this 
time  manned  by  crews  that  were  disciplined, 
while,  as  already  noted,  the  Yankee  ships  were 
to  a  very  great  extent  manned  by  landsmen. 
A  time  was  to  come  when,  in  the  matter  of 
training,  the  superiority  was  to  be  on  the  other 
decks,  but  in  1778  it  was  all  in  favor  of  the 
British. 


CHAPTER    VIII 

PRIVATEERS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 

A  TALE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  PATRIOTS  WHO  WENT  AFLOAT  OUTSIDE 
OF  THE  REGULAR  NAVY — THEIR  PART  IN  DRIVING  THE  BRITISH 
FROM  BOSTON — REMARKABLE  WORK  OF  THE  LEE — TRUXTON  AS 
A  PRIVATEER — DARING  CAPT.  JOHN  FOSTER  WILLIAMS — WHEN 
CAPT.  DANIEL  WATERS,  WITH  THE  THORN  OF  SIXTEEN  GUNS, 
WHIPPED  TWO  SHIPS  THAT  CARRIED  THIRTY-FOUR  GUNS  BE 
TWEEN  THEM — GREAT  WAS  JOSHUA  BARNEY — THE  STORY  OF 
THE  MOST  FAMOUS  STATE  CRUISERS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION — WON 
AGAINST  GREATER  ODDS  THAN  WERE  ENCOUNTERED  BY  ANY 
SUCCESSFUL  SEA  CAPTAIN  OF  THE  WAR — BRITISH  ACCOUNT  OF 
THE  WORK  OF  AMERICAN  PRIVATEERS — THE  HORRORS  OF  THE 
JERSEY  PRISON  SHIP. 

GREAT  as  was  the  influence  of  the  burning 
of  Falmouth  (Portland),  Maine,  in  driving-  the 
Continental  Congress  into  providing  a  conti 
nental  navy,  the  whole  story  of  the  results  of 
that  infamous  act  has  not  yet  been  told.  The 
"  indignation  against  the  commissioned  pirates 
and  licensed  robbers  "  was  not  felt  in  the  halls 
of  the  Congress  alone.  "  The  General  Court 
of  Massachusetts  passed  an  act  encouraging 
the  fitting  out  of  armed  vessels,"  and  one  for 
"  erecting  a  court  to  try  and  condemn  all  ves 
sels  that  should  be  found  infesting  "  the  Amer- 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  197 

lean  coast.  This  act  was  passed  on  November 
loth,  and  John  Adams  declared  it  one  of  the 
most  important  documents  in  our  history. 

Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  immediately 
followed  the  example  of  Massachusetts,  and 
on  March  23,  1776,  the  Congress  provided  for 
private  armed  vessels  under  the  continental 
flag. 

Of  the  very  early  deeds  of  these  privateers 
only  meagre  details  are  found  recorded,  but  it 
appears  that  Washington,  when  he  found  the 
troops  under  his  command,  in  the  fall  of  1775, 
were  well-nigh  absolutely  destitute  of  powder, 
determined  to  supply  them  from  the  transports 
that  were  continually  bringing  munitions  of 
war  to  the  British  forces  in  Boston  and  to  the 
British  ships  in  the  harbor.  Accordingly,  he 
caused  several  small  vessels  to  be  armed  and 
sent  afloat  in  Massachusetts  Bay  and  along 
shore  to  intercept  the  transports.  He  did  this 
without  waiting  for  authority  from  the  Con 
gress,  and  the  vessels  sailed  as  Massachusetts 
cruisers. 

Of  the  number  sent,  it  is  said  that  all  but 
one  proved  to  be  manned  by  incapable  officers 
or  mutinous  crews,  which  is  not  quite  true, 
but  the  one,  the  schooner  Lee,  of  eight  small 
guns,  Capt.  John  Manly,  redeemed  any  failure 
of  the  rest  by  the  capture  of  the  brigantine 
Nancy,  already  noted.  "  This  was  an  ordnance 


u;8  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

A    PROCLAMATION. 

WHEREAS  Congrcfs  have  received  information  and  complaints,  "  That  violences  Iiavc 
•  "  been  done  by  American  armed  veflTels  to  neutral  nations,  in  feizing  fhips  belonging  to 
"  their  fubjedls  and  under  their  colours,  and  in  making  captures  of  thofc  of  the  enemy 
"  wbilft  under  the  protection  of  neutral  coafts,  contrary  to  the  ufage  and  cuftoni  of  Nr-'.ions."  To  the 
end  chat  fuch  unjuflifiablc  and  piratical  acts,  \vhich  reflect  difhonour  upon  the  national  character  of 
thcfc  Scntes,  may  be  in  future  effectually  prevented,  the  faid  Congrefs  hath  thought  proper  to  direct, 
enjoin  and  command,  and  they  do  hereby  direct,  enjoin  and  command,  all  Captains,  Commanders  and 
other  Officers  and  Seamen  belonging  to  any  American  armed  vcflcls,  to  govern  thcinfelves  ftrictly 
in  all  things,  agreeably  to  the  tenorof  their  CommifTions,  and  the  Inductions  and  Rcfolutions  of  Con- 
grefs ;  particularly  that  they  pay  a  facred  regard  to  the  rights  of  neutral  powers,  and  the  ufage  and  cuf- 
tom  of  civilized  nations,  and  on  no  pretence  -whatever  prcfumc  to  take  or  feize  any  fliips  or  veffcls  be 
longing  to  the  fubjccts  of  princes  or  powers  in  alliance  with  thefe  United  States,  except  they  arc  cm- 
ployed  in  carrying  contraband  goods,  or  foldicrs  to  our  enemies ;  and  in  fuch  cafe  that  they  conform 
to  the  Stipulations  contained  in  Treaties  fubfifting  between  fuch  princes  or  powers  and  thefe  States ;  and 
that  they  do  not  capture,  feize  or  plunder  any  fliip«,  or  vcflcls  of  our  enemies  being  under  the  proctctioa 
of  neutral  coafts,  nations  or  princes,  under  the  penalty  of  being  condignly  puniflied  therefor,  and  alfo 
of  being  bound  to  make  fatisfaction  for  all  matters  of  damage,  and  the  intcrcft  thereof  by  reparation, 
under  the  pain  and  obligation  of  their  pcrfons  and  gcods.  And  further;  The  faid  Congrefs  doth  hereby 
Rcfclvc  and  Declare,  That  pcrfons  wilfully  offending  in  any  of  the  foregoing  inftanccs,  if  taken  by  any 
foreign  powers  in  confequence  thereof,  (hall  not  be  confidcred  as  having  a  right  to  claim  proteOion  from 
thcfe  States,  but  flail  fuffer  fuch  puniihment  as  br  the  ufage  and  cuftoin  of  nations  may  be  inflided 
upon  fuch  offenders. 

GIVEN  In  COM  CRESS  at  YORK,   in  tbt  State  of  PENNSYLVANIA,  tb'u  Ninth 
Day  of  May,   Anno  Domini  QM  Thoafand  Seven  Hundred  and  Seveutj-Eigbf. 

HENRY    LAUREN  S,    Prefident. 

ATTEST.    CHARLES    THOMSON,   Secretary- 


PRINTED,  BY    JOHN    DUN  LAP. 

From  the  copy  at  the  Lenox  Library. 


ship,"  says  Dodsley's  "Annual  Register,"  of 
London,  for  1776.  She  "contained,  besides 
a  large  mortar  upon  a  new  construction,  sev- 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  199 

eral  pieces  of  fine  brass  cannon,  a  large  quan 
tity  of  small  arms  and  ammunition,  with  all 
manner  of  tools,  utensils,  and  machines  neces 
sary  for  camps  and  artillery,  in  the  greatest 
abundance.  The  loss  of  this  ship  was  much 
resented  in  England."  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
she  carried  2,000  muskets,  8,000  fusees,  3 1 
tons  of  musket  bullets,  3,000  solid  shot  for 
twelve-pounders,  and  two  six-pounder  cannon, 
besides  gunpowder,  etc.  The  mortar  was  of 
thirteen-inch  calibre,  and  afterward  exploded. 
She  was  brought  into  Cape  Ann  Roads  on 
November  29,  1775.  On  December  8th  the 
Lee  took  three  more  transports  that  were  less 
valuable  to  the  Americans,  but  the  loss  hurt 
the  British  rather  more.  For,  insignificant  as 
were  the  vessels  captured  when  considered  as 
a  part  of  the  whole  fleet  employed  against  the 
colonies,  one  need  only  glance  at  the  state  of 
affairs  in  Boston  to  understand  why  the  loss 
of  one  ordnance  ship  was  "resented  in  Eng 
land,"  and  why  the  taking  of  three  other  trans 
ports  was  a  still  more  serious  matter.  Boston 
was  cut  off  from  the  back  country.  All  sup 
plies  had  to  come  from  over  the  water.  "  To 
ward  the  end  of  the  season  Government  went 
to  a  vast  expense  in  sending  out  provisions 
and  necessaries  of  all  sorts,"  says  the  British 
authority  just  quoted.  "The  want  of  fresh 
provisions  had  caused  much  sickness  there. 


200  THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 

.  .  No  less  than  5,000  oxen,  14,000  of 
the  largest  and  fattest  sheep  and  a  vast  num 
ber  of  hogs  were  purchased  and  sent  out 
alive."  They  also  sent  out  coal  and  even 
kindling  wood,  not  to  mention  vegetables. 
But  the  winds  were  against  them.  The  live 
stock  died  on  board  before  they  got  away 
from  the  home  coasts,  "  so  that  the  channel 
was  everywhere  strowed  with  the  carcasses  of 
these  animals."  The  vegetables  "fermented 
and  perished."  On  top  of  all  these  losses  the 
capture  of  even  such  small  vessels  as  schoon 
ers  of  a  hundred  tons  was  a  serious  loss,  for 
the  whole  British  force  in  Boston  was  hungry, 
while  houses  had  to  be  torn  down  to  supply 
fuel. 

To  add  to  the  mortification  of  the  enemy, 
some  of  the  captures  were  made  within  sight, 
of  British  frigates  which,  through  the  failure 
of  the  wind  or  the  action  of  the  tide,  were 
unable  to  interfere.  A  British  account  of  one 
of  these  audacious  attacks  that  in  the  end  was 
frustrated  will  illustrate  the  character  of  the 
Yankee  privateer. 

"  On  the  23d  of  November  a  small  fleet  of 
transports  under  convoy  of  the  frigate  Tartar 
arrived  off  Boston,  and  with  the  exception 
of  two  safely  entered  the  port.  The  ship 
Hunter  and  a  brig,  owing  to  a  shift  in. the 
wind,  were  obliged  to  anchor  outside  the 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  201 

harbor,  which  being  observed  by  two  Ameri 
can  privateers  that  had  been  following  the 
convoy,  they  in  the  most  daring  manner  at 
tacked  and  boarded  them,  setting  them  on 
fire.  A  signal  was  immediately  made  for  the 
Raven  to  weigh  anchor  and  go  in  chase,  but 
Lieutenant  John  Bourmaster,  who  had  been 
appointed  to  protect  Boston  Lighthouse,  then 
under  repair,  and  who  was  in  command  of 
an  armed  transport,  on  observing  the  pri 
vateers  fire  upon  the  Himter,  set  sail  and 
reached  the  transports  in  time  to  save  them 
from  destruction." 

Among  the  little  cruisers  that  saw  the  most 
service  was  the  Franklin  schooner.  Under 
Capt.  John  Selman  she  went  with  the  Lynch 
to  the  St.  Lawrence  River  to  intercept  the 
two  transports  mentioned  in  the  report  of 
the  doings  of  the  Congress  on  October  5, 
1775,  wherein  it  was  resolved  that  "a  letter 
be  sent  to  General  Washington  to  inform  him 
that  Congress  having  received  certain  intelli 
gence  of  the  sailing  of  two  north  country  built 
brigs,  of  no  force,  from  England  on  the  nth 
of  August  last,  loaded  with  arms,  powder 
and  other  stores,  for  Quebec,  without  convoy, 
which  it  being  of  importance  to  intercept," 
etc.,  the  general  was  to  send  two  cruisers 
after  them. 

Captain  Selman  failed  to  find  the  brigs,  but 


AN   ORDINANCE, 

Afcertaining  what  Captures  oil 
Water  fhall  be  lawful. 

In   purfuance    of  the    Powers  delegated    by  the  Confederation    in   Cafes  of 
Capture  on  Water  ; 


'  ';?Ii|^  i       !  ^ 


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--_«!.,•  •    ,,/„,)  h,  K,. 

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From  t/u  copy  at  the  Lenox  Library. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  203 

"  missing  them,  they  took  ten  other  vessels 
and  Governor  Wright  of  St.  John's.  All 
these  vessels  were  released  as  we  had  wa^ed 

o 

a  ministerial  war  and  not  one  against  our 
most  gracious  sovereign." 

They  changed  their  tactics  after  their  most 
gracious  sovereign  was  pleased  to  send  Hes 
sians  to  crush  them. 

The  Franklin  was  thereafter  stationed  in 
and  near  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  early  in  the 
spring  of  1776,  under  Capt.  James  Mugford, 
captured  a  transport  having  1,500  barrels  of 
powder  in  her  hold,  besides  other  war  supplies. 

It  is  recorded  that  Capt.  Samuel  Tucker, 
while  in  command  of  Massachusetts  cruisers, 
captured  no  less  than  thirty  vessels  belonging 
to  the  enemy. 

The  most  brilliant  achievement  of  this  mos 
quito  Meet  during  1776  was  on  June  1 7th. 
The  Connecticut  cruiser  Defence,  Captain 
Harding,  heard  a  cannonading  to  the  north 
of  Plymouth,  and  cruising  in  that  direction, 
met  the  schooner  Lee,  now  under  Capt. 
Daniel  Waters,  and  three  other  privateers. 
They  had  had  a  running  fight  with  two  big 
transports  that  had  gone  into  Nantasket 
Roads.  So  the  Yankees  determined  to  fol 
low  them  there.  At  1 1  o'clock  at  night  Cap 
tain  Harding  ran  in  between  the  two  transports 
and  came  to  anchor.  He  was  but  a  dozen 


204  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

yards  from  each  of  them.  Having  everything 
ready,  he  hailed  and  ordered  both  of  them  to 
strike. 

"  Aye,  aye — I'll  strike,"  said  a  voice  from 
one  of  them,  and  then  a  broadside  was  fired 
from  it  into  the  Defence.  The  Defence  replied, 
but  the  enemy  held  out  for  an  hour.  When 
they  surrendered  it  was  found  that  the  two 
contained  200  regular  soldiers  of  the  Seventy- 
first  Regiment.  Major  Menzies,  who  had  been 
in  command,  was  the  one  to  answer  the  hail  by 
saying  he  would  strike,  and  then  firing.  He 
was  killed  with  seventeen  others  during  the 
battle.  The  next  morning  another  transport 
with  100  more  men  of  the  same  regiment  was 
captured. 

But  if  this  was  counted  daring  work  by  the 
British  authorities,  there  were  other  deeds  to 
come  which  were  unquestionably  shocking  to 
the  British  merchants,  for,  following  the  ex 
ample  set  by  the  Revenge  and  the  Surprise 
of  the  regular  navy,  the  privateers  went  seek 
ing  prizes  on  the  coasts  and  in  the  very  har 
bors  of  Great  Britain  herself.  In  daring,  these 
privateers  quite  equalled  Connyngham  and 
John  Paul  Jones.  A  British  account  of  one 
of  these  descents  says  : 

"  An  American  privateer  of  twelve  guns 
came  into  this  road  (Guernsey)  yesterday 
morning,  tacked  about  on  firing  of  the  guns 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  205 

from  the  Castle,  and  just  off  the  Island  took  a 
large  brig  bound  for  this  port  which  they  have 
since  carried  into  Cherbourg.  She  had  the 
impudence  to  send  her  boat  in  the  dusk  of  the 
evening  to  a  little  island  off  here  called  Jetto 
and  unluckily  carried  off  the  lieutenant  of 
Worthley's  Independent  Company,  here,  with 
the  adjutant,  who  were  shooting  rabbits  for 
their  diversion.  The  brig  they  took  is  valued 
at  seven  thousand  pounds." 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  log-books  and 
diaries  kept  on  most  of  these  cruisers  have 
disappeared,  for  many  a  stirring  tale  of  adven 
ture  has  thus  been  lost.  Nevertheless,  au 
thentic  details  of  some  of  the  deeds  done  are 
by  no  means  wanting.  For  instance,  there 
was  one  Thomas  Truxton  of  whom  the  British 
heard  to  their  sorrow  in  after  years.  He  was 
in  command  of  the  privateer  Independence,  of 
New  York,  in  1777.  Going  to  the  Azores,  he 
captured  a  number  of  small  prizes,  and  then 
had  the  luck  to  fall  in  with  the  convoy  from 
the  Windward  Islands.  There  were  frigates 
to  protect  the  fleet,  but  Truxton  cut  out  three 
big  ships,  of  which  one  was  armed  and  manned 
better  than  the  Independence,  save  only  for  the 
difference  in  captains. 

Returning  to  port,  he  fitted  out  the  Mars 
with  twenty  odd  guns  and  made  a  cruise  in 
the  English  Channel.  Here  his  prizes  were 


2o6  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

numerous,  and  it  is  said  that  those  he  sent 
into  Quiberon  Bay  "  in  a  great  measure  laid 
the  foundation  of  Lord  Stormonth's  remon 
strance  to  the  French  Court,  against  the  ad 
mission  into  her  ports  of  our  armed  vessels 
and  cruisers"— a  remonstrance  that  was  not 
heeded,  and  so  the  French  became  involved 
in  war  with  England  to  the  great  advantage 
of  the  colonies. 

Later  still,  while  en  route  to  France  in  the 
St.  James  of  twenty  guns,  he  beat  off  a  ship  of 
thirty-two  guns  that  had  been  sent  out  ex 
pressly  to  capture  him.  A  good  story  is  told 
of  this  fight.  A  ball  had  passed  through  her 
side  and  lodged  in  her  mainmast.  "  A  fine 
forecastle  man  named  Jack  Sutton,  perceiving 
the  ball  the  moment  it  struck  the  mast,  seized 
it,  ran  with  it  to  a  gunner,  and  said  :  '  Here, 
gunner,  take  this  shot,  write  post  paid  upon  it, 
and  send  it  back  to  the  rascals.'  ' 

Capt.  John  Foster  Williams  was  another 
daring  privateer.  In  1778,  in  the  Hazard, 
that  mounted  fourteen  four-pounders  and  two 
three-pounders,  he  captured  the  brig  Active, 
that  mounted  eighteen  six-pounders,  six  smaller 
guns,  and  ten  one-pounder  swivels.  The  fight 
lasted  forty  minutes,  and  the  Active  lost  thirty- 
three  in  killed  and  wounded  to  the  Hazard's 
eight. 

In  May,  1779,  he  was  placed  in  the  twenty- 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  207 

grin  ship  Protector,  belonging  to  Massa 
chusetts,  and  in  June  he  fought  the  British 
privateer  Admiral  Duff,  an  equal  ship,  yard- 
arm  to  yard-arm,  for  an  hour,  when  the  enemy 
took  fire  and  blew  up.  Only  fifty-five  of  her 
crew  were  picked  up.  Returning  from  this 
cruise,  he  fell  in  with  the  thirty-two-gun  frig 
ate  Thames,  and  after  a  running  fire  compelled 
her  to  haul  off. 

And  then  there  was  Capt.  Alexander  Mur 
ray.  In  the  Revenge,  of  eighteen  guns,  in  1780, 
he  beat  off  two  ships  of  the  British  navy,  of 
which  one  mounted  eighteen  and  the  other 
sixteen  guns.  This  was  at  the  capes  of  the 
Chesapeake.  Afterwards  he  took  a  cargo  of 
tobacco  from  Richmond,  Virginia,  in  a  ship 
that  had  only  five  six-pounders  for  armament. 
At  sea  he  fell  in  with  a  privateer  of  fourteen 
guns  and  100  men.  Murray,  having  so  few 
guns,  shifted  them  across  the  deck  as  occa 
sion  required,  and  blazed  away.  His  ship, 
owing  to  the  superior  number  of  guns  of  the 
enemy,  was  eventually  so  cut  up  aloft  that 
only  the  mainmast  and  bowsprit  remained 
standing  ;  nevertheless,  Captain  Murray  beat 
off  the  enemy  in  spite  of  four  desperate  at 
tempts  to  carry  him  by  boarding. 

Greater  still  was  the  renown  of  Capt. 
Daniel  Waters.  Captain  Waters  was  sent  to 
sea  by  General  Washington  in  the  Lee,  as 


208 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


already  mentioned  in  this  chapter.      In    1778, 
while  in  command   of   the  privateer  Thorn,  of 


Alexander  Murray. 
From  an  engraving  by  Edwin  of  the  painting  by  Wood. 

sixteen  guns,  he  amply  justified  the  confidence 
the  general  had  manifested  in  him  by  his  fight 
with  two  English  sloops-of-war.  One  was  the 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  209 

Governor  Tryon,  of  sixteen  guns,  Captain  Steb- 
bins,  and  the  other  the  Sir  William  Erskine, 
of  eighteen  guns,  Captain  Hamilton.  After 
two  hours  of  such  desperate  fighting  as  was 
shown  but  rarely,  the  Tryon  struck  and  the 
Erskine  hauled  off.  But  Captain  Waters 
would  not  let  the  Erskine  escape.  He  set 
more  sail,  overhauled  her,  and  compelled  her 
to  strike.  As  night  came  on  the  Tryon  man 
aged  to  escape,  but  Captain  Waters  manned 
the  Erskine  and  sent  her  in.  He  had  but 
sixty  men  left  in  the  Thorn.  Nevertheless, 
when  he  fell  in  with  the  Sparlin,  of  eighteen 
guns  and  ninety-seven  men,  next  day,  he  gave 
battle  and  captured  her  also. 

If  any  further  proof  be  wanted  of  the  fact 
that  it  is  the  heart  of  the  commander  and  not 
the  number  of  his  men  or  the  weight  of  his 
metal  that  wins  in  a  sea-fight,  it  will  be  found 
in  the  tale  of  the  American  privateer  Hyder 
AH  and  the  British  ship  General  Monk. 
Capt.  Joshua  Barney  commanded  the  Hyder 
Ali,  and  he  had  had  a  lot  of  good  training 
before  he  became  the  hero  of  the  story  now 
to  be  told.  He  had  had  (through  accident) 
command  of  a  ship  when  but  seventeen  years 
old,  and  acquitted  himself  with  honor.  He 
had  sailed  in  the  Hornet  in  the  first  American 
naval  squadron.  He  had  seen  exciting  ser 
vice  in  the  Wasp  under  Captain  Alexander. 
14 


From  an  engraving  by  Gross  after  a  miniature  fry  Isabcy. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  211 

He  had  captured  a  British  privateer  while 
commanding  the  little  sloop  Sachem.  He  was 
in  the  Andrea  Doria  when  she  fought  the  Race 
horse.  He  had  been  captured  while  bringing 
in  a  prize,  and  had  survived  the  frightful  ill- 
treatment  the  prisoners  on  the  prison  ship 
Jersey  received.  He  escaped  thence,  and 
while  in  command  of  a  cargo  ship,  had  beaten 
off  the  Rosebud,  Captain  Duncan,  a  ship  of 
sixteen  guns,  by  firing  a  crowbar  at  her,  and 
so  cutting  away  all  her  headgear  and  disabling 
her  foremast. 

And  so  the  8th  of  April,  1782,  arrived.  On 
that  day  he  took  command  of  the  Hydcr  AH, 
of  the  Pennsylvania  State  service,  and  started 
to  convoy  a  fleet  of  merchantmen  from  Phila 
delphia  out  to  sea.  The  Hydcr  Ali  carried 
sixteen  six-pounders  and  1 10  men.  At  the 
capes  the  fleet  found  the  British  frigate  Que 
bec,  the  brig  Fair  American,  of  sixteen  guns, 
and  the  brig  General  Monk,  Captain  Rogers, 
carrying  "  only  (sic)  sixteen  carronades,  twelve- 
pounders,  and  two  long  six-pounders"  (so  says 
Allen).  The  Quebec  could  not  get  around  the 
shoals,  and  had  no  part  in  the  affray.  The 
Fair  American  went  hunting  the  convoy, 
and  the  General  Monk  came  after  the  Hydcr 
Ali. 

As  the  Englishman  approached,  Captain 
Barney  saw  his  immense  superiority  in  men 


212  THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY 

and  metal,  but  determined  to  make  a  fight. 
Calling  his  officers  and  men  around  him,  he 
said  : 

u  If  I  direct  you  to  prepare  for  boarding 
you  are  to  understand  me  as  meaning  that  you 
are  to  remain  at  your  guns,  and  be  ready  to 
fire  the  moment  the  word  is  given.  If  on  the 
contrary  I  order  you  to  give  him  a  broadside, 
you  are  to  consider  me  as  calling  for  boarders, 
and  to  hold  yourselves  ready  to  board  as  soon 
as  we  gain  a  proper  position." 

A  little  later  the  Englishman  ranged  up 
within  a  dozen  yards  or  less,  and  in  a  loud 
voice  demanded  that  the  Hyder  AH  strike  her 
colors. 

"  Hard  a  port  your  helm — do  you  want  him 
to  run  aboard  us?"  bawled  Captain  Barney  to 
the  man  at  the  wheel  of  the  Hyder  AH. 

"  The  ready  witted  seaman  understood  his 
cue  and  clapped  his  helm  hard  a  starboard. 
The  enemy's  jib  boom  caught  in  the  fore  rig 
ging  of  the  Hyder  AH  and  there  remained  en 
tangled  during  the  short  but  glorious  action 
that  ensued.  The  Hyder  AH  thus  gained  a 
raking  position  of  which  she  availed  herself  to 
its  utmost  benefit.  More  than  twenty  broad 
sides  were  fired  in  twenty-six  minutes  and 
scarcely  a  shot  missed  its  effect ;  entering  in 
at  the  starboard  bow  and  making  their  way 
out  through  the  port  quarter.  In  less  than 


OF  TH€ 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY  215 

half  an  hour  frotn  the  firing  of  the  first  broad 
side  the  British  flag  waved  its  proud  folds  no 
longer  in  the  breeze." 

This  quotation  is  from  a  "  Biographical 
Memoir"  of  Barney,  made  from  his  private 
papers  by  Mary  Barney.  Having  captured  the 
Monk,  Barney  stood  up  the  Delaware,  drove 
the  Fair  American  ashore,  and  easily  escaped 
the  frigate.  A  comparative  statement  of  the 
forces  of  the  combatants  is  worth  giving. 
The  British  ship  carried  a  crew  of  1 36  men  ; 
the  American,  110.  The  British  ship  was 
armed  with  sixteen  twelve-pounders  and  two 
long  sixes — she  could  throw  102  pounds  of 
metal  at  a  broadside  ;  the  American  carried 
sixteen  six-pounders — she  could  throw  forty- 
eight  pounds  of  metal  at  a  broadside.  The 
British  had  more  than  twice  the  metal  and 
they  had  a  much  greater  number  of  men- 
men,  too,  who  had  long  been  fighting  together, 
while  the  American  crew  had  not  been  on 
board  a  month. 

The  comparison  of  losses  is  equally  signifi 
cant.  The  Monk  lost  twenty  men  killed  and 
thirty-three  wounded — fifty-three  out  of  136. 
The  Hyder  Ali  lost  four  killed  and  eleven 
wounded.  The  first  lieutenant,  purser,  sur 
geon,  boatswain,  and  chief  gunner  were  among 
the  Montis  killed,  and  her  captain  was  severely 
wounded. 


216 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


It  is  said  that  the  General  Monk  had  cap 
tured  sixty  American  vessels  in  two  years. 

Did  space  permit,  many  other  brave  deeds 
of  the  privateers  might  be  given.  Of  especial 


OHipped  by  the  Grace  (Mx    in  good  Order  and  vellCondifiohned,  by  <-^ 
in  and  upon  the  good  •sfayr  called  the    d 


yhereof  is  Mafter  under  God  for,  this  p«fent  voyage 
and  now  riding  at  anchor  in  the  harbour  of  POrient  , 


and  bound  for^^/ 


being  marlceJ  and  numbered  as  in 

well  condicionned  ,  at  the  aforefaid  Portof 

the  feas  only  exceptei)  unto 


are  to  be,  delivered  in  the  fiVe  good  Order  and 
Port  of  discharge  ( the  danger  of 

•  yr 


</  affigns  ,  he  or  they  paying  Freight  for  faid  Go 


•nrith  primage  and/aVerage  accuftomed.  In  witnefs  whereof  the  Mafter  or  Purfer  of  the  faid 


has  affirmed  to^v^t  Bills,  op^ading,  all  of  this  tenor  and  date  ;  one    of  vhich*^  Bills  Wing 


A    Relic  of   Two  Revolutionary    Captains:     Bill  of    Lading   for    John    Barry    Signed    by 
Joshua   Barney. 

From  the  original  at  the  Lenox  Library. 

interest,  though  of  small  moment  in  their 
immediate  effect  upon  the  war,  was  the  work 
done  in  whaleboats  along  the  coast  and 
especially  upon  Long  Island  Sound.  The 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  217 

adventures  of  these  brave — they  were  often 
even  reckless — men  lived  in  the  tales  told  at- 
the  firesides  long  after  the  Revolution,  and 
stirred  the  hearts  that  in  another  war  were  to 
emulate  the  deeds  of  this  one,  and  with  a 
success  that  astounded  the  natural  enemy  of 
the  struggling  young  nation. 

But  if  all  the  tales  may  not  be  repeated  here, 
something  may  be  told  of  what  these  Yankee 
privateers  accomplished.  In  the  following 
quotation  from  Dodsley's  "  Annual  Register" 
for  1778  is  found  a  statement  made  in  Parlia 
ment  regarding  this  work  up  to  the  end  of 
1777.  It  says: 

"  The  number  of  vessels  belonging  to  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  taken  by  ships  of  war 
and  privateers  belonging  to  the  said  colonies, 
amount  to  733. — That  of  that  number,  it 
appears  that  47  have  been  released,  and  127 
retaken  ;  but  that  the  loss  on  the  latter,  for 
salvage,  interest  on  the  value  of  the  cargo, 
and  loss  of  a  market,  must  have  been  very 
considerable.— That  the  loss  of  the  remaining 
559  vessels,  which  have  been  carried  into  port, 
appears,  from  the  examination  of  merchants, 
to  amount  at  least  to  2,600,000  1. — That  of  200 
ships  anually  employed  in  the  African  trade,- 
before  the  commencement  of  the  present  civil 
war,  whose  value,  upon  an  average,  was  about 
9,000  1.  each,  there  are  not  now  forty  ships, 


218  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

employed  in  that  trade,  whereby  there  is  a 
diminution  in  this  branch  of  comerce  of  160 
ships,  which  at  9,000  1.  each,  amount  to  a  loss 
of  1,440,000  1.  per  annum. — That  the  price  of 
insurance  to  the  West  Indies  arid  North 
America,  is  increased  from  two,  and  two  and 
a  half,  to  five  per  cent  with  convoy  ;  but  with 
out  convoy,  and  unarmed,  the  said  insurance 
has  been  made  at  fifteen  per  cent.  But 
generally  ships  in  such  circumstances  cannot 
be  insured  at  all. — That  the  price  of  a  sea 
man's  wages  is  raised  from  one  pound  ten 
shillings,  to  three  pounds  five  shillings  per 
month. — That  it  appears  to  this  committee,  that 
the  present  diminution  of  the  African  trade, 
the  interruption  of  the  American  trade  to  the 
West  Indies,  and  the  captures  made  of  the 
West-India  ships,  have  greatly  distressed  the 
British  colonies  in  the  West  Indies. — That 
the  numbers  of  American  privateers,  of  which 
authentic  accounts  have  been  received,  amount 
to  173  ;  and  that  they  carried  2,556  guns,  and 
at  least  13,840  seamen,  reckoning  80  men  in 
each  ship. — And  that,  of  the  above  privateers, 
34  have  been  taken,  which  carried  3,2 17  men, 
which  is  more  than  94  men  to  each  vessel." 
^  To  this  may  be  added  a  statement  from  the 
London  "  Remembrancer"  (vol.  v),  which  says 
that  "  the  number  of  English  vessels  employed 
in  the  West  India  trade,  captured  by  Amer- 


220  THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY 

ican  cruisers,  amounted  on  the  ist  February, 
1777,  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  sail  :  value  of 
their  cargoes,  about  ten  millions  of  dollars. 
In  the  course  of  one  week  fourteen  English 
vessels  were  carried  into  Martinique.  So  over 
stocked  was  the  market  of  this  island,  by  these 
privateers,  that  English  silk  stockings,  which 
had  usually  sold  for  two  or  three  dollars, 
\\ere  disposed  of  for  one  dollar.  Sailors  went 
from  door  to  door,  offering  their  prize  goods 
for  sale  ;  nor  could  they  dispose  of  Irish  lin 
ens  for  more  than  two  dollars  per  piece.  Other 
goods  sold  in  proportion.  Of  a  fleet  of  sixty 
vessels,  from  Ireland,  for  the  West  Indies, 
thirty-Jive  were  captured  by  American  priva 
teers  !  " 

Still  another  British  account  of  the  distress 
occasioned  by  the  privateers,  written  from 
Grenada,  says  : 

"  We  are  happy  if  we  can  get  anything  for 
money  by  reason  of  the  quantity  of  vessels 
that  are  taken  by  American  privateers.  A 
fleet  of  vessels  came  from  Ireland  a  few  days 
ago.  From  sixty  vessels  that  departed  from 
Ireland  not  above  twenty-five  arrived  in  this 
and  neighboring  islands,  the  others,  it  is 
thought,  being  all  taken  by  the  American 
privateers.  God  knows  if  this  American  war 
continues  much  longer  we  shall  all  die  with 
hunger.  There  was  a  Guineaman  that  came 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


221 


from  Africa  with  450  negroes,  some  thousand 
weight  of  gold  dust  and  a  great  many  ele 
phant  teeth  ;  the  whole  cargo  being  computed 
to  be  worth  twenty  thousand  pounds  sterling, 
taken  by  an  American  privateer,  a  brig  mount 
ing  fourteen  cannon,  a  few  days  ago." 


The   British    Prison   Ship  Jeri 
From  an  old  wood-cut. 


A  brief  reference  to  the  prison  ship  in  which 
the  privateers  were  confined  when  captured  by 
the  enemy  on  the  American  coast  will  serve 
very  well  to  close  this  chapter.  The  reference 
may  be  brief,  because  it  is  so  notorious  in  the 
annals  of  civilized  warfare  as  to  be  known  to 
every  schoolboy.  The  special  jail  of  the  pri- 


222  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

vateers  was  the  dismantled  man-o'-war  hulk 
Jersey.  As  consorts  she  had  four  other  hulks, 
but  t\\e  Jersey  was  the  receiving  ship.  If  the 
unfortunates  captured  and  taken  to  England 
were,  by  the  deliberate  and  publicly  debated 
act  of  Parliament,  fed  with  an  allowance  of 
bread  that  was  half  a  pound  less  per  day  than 
was  allowed  to  the  hated  Frenchmen,  one 
would  naturally  expect  still  worse  treatment 
for  those  who  were  kept  by  jailers  unrestrained 
by  the  sentiments  of  the  humane  portion  of 
their  countrymen. 

The  Jersey  was  at  first  anchored  near  the 
city  of  New  York.  She  leaked  constantly, 
and  her  hold,  where  the  prisoners  were  con 
fined,  was  clamp  and  rotten.  They  had  no 
means  for  cleaning  themselves  or  the  hold. 
The  careless  were  herded  with  those  who 
would  have  been  careful.  The  damnable  con 
ditions  there  bred  the  ship-fever  and  other 
diseases.  Instead  of  disinfecting  the  hulk  the 
authorities  moved  it  over  to  Wallabout  Bay, 
where  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard  is  now  located. 
This  was  done  to  keep  the  contagion  from 
spreading  to  the  city.  Then  a  regiment  of 
renegade  Americans  was  quartered  in  most 
comfortable  fashion  within  sight  of  this  prison 
ship,  and  the  terrors  of  the  ship  were  then 
deliberately  increased.  The  food  of  the  pris 
oners  consisted  of  the  bread  and  meat  that 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  223 

had  been   ordered    for  the    British   forces,  but 
was    condemned   as   unfit  for    human    beings. 

o 

And  the  quantity  was  very  scant  at  that. 


A  Permit  to  Visit  One  of  the   Prison   Ships. 
From  the  original  at  the  Lenox  Library. 

The  sick  were  placed  in  bunks  where  the 
snow  could  sift  down  through  hatchways  and 
in  through  open  seams  on  to  the  one  blanket 


224  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

allowed  for  covering.  To  the  ravages  of  dis 
ease  were  added  the  horrors  of  frozen  limbs, 
and  living  men  saw  their  own  feet  drop  off 
because  of  this  treatment. 

At  night  the  prisoners  were  driven  to  their 
bunks  with  curses  and  the  cry  of  "  Down, 
rebels,  down!"  In  the  morning  they  were 
turned  out  with  other  imprecations  and  the 
words  "  Rebels,  turn  out  your  dead  !" 

And  there  were  dead  a-plenty  to  turn  out 
every  day  in  the  year.  The  British  jailers 
would  point  to  the  well-kept  renegades  and 
offer  to  send  any  prisoner  who  would  join 
them  to  enjoy  the  same  comforts,  but  the  love 
of  home  and  of  liberty  was  so  strong  in  the 
hearts  of  these  men  that  they  chose  death 
instead  of  such  a  release  from  prison — more 
than  ten  thousand  Americans  chose  death  by 
lingering  torture  on  the  British  prison  ships 
in  New  York  rather  than  dishonor. 

David  Sproats  was  the  chief  keeper  of  the 
prison  ships.  He  boasted  that  he  had  killed 
more  "rebels"  than  all  the  king's  armies  had 
done.  To  aggravate  his  offences,  he  offered 
to  exchange  the  sick  and  dying  privateersmen 
in  his  charge  for  an  equal  number  of  British 
regulars  who  could  pass  inspection  as  fit  for 
service,  and  because  Washington  refused  to 
thus  aid  in  recruiting  the  waning  forces  of  the 
enemy  the  horrors  of  the  prison  ships  were 


226 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 


increased.      And    because    of    this  refusal  the 
English   writers   say  to    this    day  that   if   any^ 
American  died  on  the  prison  ship   it  was  his 
own  fault,  or  the  fault  of  the  American  author- < 
ities  who  refused  to  make  an  exchange  ? 


A  Relic  of  the  Prison   Ships:    Entrance  to  the  Vault  of  the  Martyrs. 
From  an  old  "wood-cut. 

If  those  Englishmen  who  wonder  why  it 
is  that  American  schoolboys,  when  playing 
games  of  "  war,"  invariably  speak  of  the 
"  enemy  "as  "the  British  "  —if  those  wonder 
ing  English  wish  to  learn  why  this  is  so,  let 
them  read  with  candid  minds  the  true  story 
of  the  American  struggle  for  life  and  liberty. 


CHAPTER    IX 

JOHN   PAUL  JONES   AND   THE    BONHOMME   RICHARD 

A  CONDEMNED  INDIAMAN,  ILL-SHAPED  AND  ROTTEN,  FITTED  AS  A 
MAN-O'-WAR — A  DISHEARTENING  CRUISE  WITH  INCAPABLE  AND 
MUTINOUS  ASSOCIATES — ATTEMPT  TO  TAKE  LEITH,  AND  THE 

SCOTCH  PARSON'S  PRAYER — MEETING  THE  SERAPIS — WHEN  JOHN 

PAUL  JONES  HAD  "NOT  YET  BEGUN  TO  FIGHT";  WHEN  HE 
HAD  "  GOT  HER  NOW  "  ;  WHEN  HE  WOULD  NOT  "  SURRENDER  TO 
A  DROP  OF  WATER  " — READY  WIT  OF  RICHARD  DALE — WORK 
OF  A  BRIGHT  MARINE — A  BATTLE  WON  BY  SHEER  PLUCK  AND 
PERSISTENCE. 

THE  one  sea-fight  of  the  American  strug 
gle  for  liberty  that  is  of  unfailing  interest  was 
that  in  which  John  Paul  Jones,  in  the  Bon- 
honime  Richard,  whipped  the  British  frigate 
Serapis.  And  the  student  need  not  go  far  to 
seek  the  reason  for  this  interest,  because  it  is 
found  in  the  fact  that  it  was  the  man  that 
won,  and  neither  the  ship  nor  the  crew.  It 
was  won  in  spite  of  such  obstacles  as  no  other 
man  has  ever  been  obliged  to  face  at  sea.  It 
was  a  victory  typical  of  the  ultimate  suc 
cess  of  the  American  cause,  for  it  was  a  vic 
tory  that  was  literally  dragged  out  of  the 
breakers  of  destruction. 


228  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

John  Paul  Jones  reached  Brest,  France, 
after  his  brilliant  cruise  in  the  Ranger,  on 
May  8,  1778.  It  was  not  until  February  4, 
1779,  that  he  was  again  ordered  in  command 
of  a  ship.  The  delay  was  due,  of  course,  to 
the  utter  lack  of  funds  to  the  account  of  the 
American  commissioners  in  France.  France, 
however,  was  at  war  with  England,  and  to  the 
French  court  Jones  applied,  time  and  again, 
but  without  success  until  after  he  happened  to 
read  one  of  Franklin's  old  "  Almanacks  "  con 
taining  "  Poor  Richard's  Maxims."  Therein 
he  read  that  wise  saying  :  "  If  you  wish  to 
have  any  business  done  faithfully  and  expe- 
ditiously,  go  and  do  it  yourself." 

This  is  worth  telling,  first,  because  Jones 
acted  on  this  advice,  and  on  going  to  Paris 
was  so  well  received  that  he  got  a  ship.  It  is 
also  worth  telling  because  the  maxim  made 
such  a  deep  impression  on  Jones  that,  having 
been  placed  in  command  of  a  ship,  he  changed 
her  name  to  "  Poor  Richard,"  which,  when 
translated  into  French,  is  Bonhomme  Richard. 
That  the  Bonhomme  Richard  will  float  in  his 
tory  so  long  as  a  record  of  sails  exists  scarce 
need  be  said. 

A  most  remarkable  vessel  was  this  that  was 
transferred  to  the  use  of  the  American  com 
mander.  On  reaching  L'Orient,  where  she 
was  lying,  he  found  her  a  huge,  wall-sided 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  229 

merchantman  that  had  ended  her  usefulness 
as  an  India  trader,  and  was  now  to  be  trans 
ferred  to  another  use,  just  as  worn-out  ships  in 
these  days  become  coal  barges  in  the  Atlantic 
coasting  trade.  She  had  an  enormously  high 
poop  and  an  enormously  high  forecastle.  Her 
masts  were  short,  her  sails  were  squat,  and  her 
bows  and  stern  were  as  blunt  as  those  of  an 
Erie  Canal  boat.  But,  worst  of  all,  she  was  so 
old  that  the  life  was  out  of  all  of  her  timbers, 
and  some  of  them  were  wholly  rotten. 

Nevertheless,  this  energetic  sailorman  set 
about  fitting  her  for  a  warship  where  a  man 
of  ordinary  enthusiasm  would  have  hesitated 
about  trusting  himself  afloat  offshore  in  her. 
What  labor  fitting  her  for  sea  implied  may  be 
inferred  from  the  fact  that,  after  a  look  at  her, 
"  he  hastened  to  Bordeaux  to  order  the  casting 
of  the  cannon." 

As  an  Indiaman  the  ship  had  carried  guns 
on  her  main  deck.  The  guns  had  been  re 
moved,  and  Jones  went  to  Bordeaux  to  get 
eighteen-pounders  to  put  there,  but  finding  it 
would  take  too  long  to  provide  them,  he  was 
forced  to  content  himself  with  twelve-pound 
ers.  On  the  forecastle  and  the  quarterdeck 
he  mounted  nine-pounders — four  forward  and 
four  aft.  Then,  as  the  ship  stood  high  out  of 
water,  he  went  down  on  the  deck  below  the 
main  and  had  six  ports  cut  through  on  each 


230  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

side,  and  for  these  he  procured  six  eighteen- 
pounders,  which  were  installed,  three  on  each 
side,  leaving  three  empty  ports  on  each  side- 
ports  which,  though  empty,  served  the  purpose 
of  making  the  enemy  think  his  ship  more  pow 
erful  than  it  really  was.  As  the  event  showed, 
it  was  not  even  as  powerful  as  Jones  supposed 
it  was.  But,  worst  of  all  among  the  perils  of 
such  a  voyage  as  was  proposed  (had  Jones 
been  a  man  to  calculate  perils),  was  that  found 
in  the  heterogeneous  character  of  his  crew 
when  shipped.  American  naval  ships  have 
since  had  as  curious  mixtures  as  this  one  did, 
but  it  is  worth  noting  that,  besides  Americans, 
it  contained  men  from  England,  Ireland,  and 
Scotland  ;  from  Norway,  France,  Spain,  Por 
tugal,  Malta,  and  the  Portuguese  Islands  ;  from 
Africa,  India,  and  the  Malayan  Peninsula. 
With  such  a  crew  as  this,  and  short-handed 
at  that,  Captain  Jones  had  to  go  to  sea;  but,  as 
will  be  told  further  on,  he  got  some  recruits 
of  a  stamp  worth  having.  Meantime,  while 
fitting  out  the  Bonhomme  Richard,  he  was 
joined  by  Master's  Mate  Richard  Dale,  who 
had  escaped  from  the  terrors  of  the  British 
prison.  Dale  shipped  with  Jones  as  master's 
mate,  but  he  was  what  would  be  called  in  the 
slang  of  these  clays  a  "  hustler,"  and  before 
the  ship  sailed  the  discriminating  eye  of  the 
master  had  picked  him  out  for  first  lieutenant. 


From  an  engraving  by  Dodson  after  the  portrait  by  Wood. 


232  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

Next  to  Jones,  the  credit  of  the  great  fight 
that  followed  was  due  to  the  unwearied  zeal 
and  the  undaunted  courage  of  this  man. 

Meantime  arrangements  had  been  making  to 
give  Captain  Jones  a  fleet  instead  of  a  single 
ship.  The  Congress  had  built  a  frigate  of 
thirty-two  guns — she  carried  thirty-six,  how 
ever,  all  told — which,  because  of  the  recent 
ly  formed  alliance  between  France  and  the 
United  States,  was  named  the  Alliance.  As  a 
further  compliment  to  the  French  one  Pierre 
Landais,  a  French  naval  lieutenant,  was  placed 
in  command  of  her.  It  was  a  pleasant  thing 
to  compliment  France,  but  disastrous  to  appoint 
Landais,  for  he  had  a  vein  of  insanity  in  him 
due  to  brooding  over  his  previous  failure  to 
gain  promotion  in  the  service  of  his  own 
country.  The  Alliance  was  detailed  to  carry 
Lafayette  home  to  France  after  his  service  in 
America,  and  this  duty  she  performed,  although 
she  was  narrowly  saved  from  capture  when  a 
number  of  Englishmen  in  her  crew  mutinied— 
a  crime,  by  the  way,  for  which  no  penalty  was 
inflicted,  because  of  the  noble  generosity  of 
Lafayette.  The  Alliance  was  ordered  to  sail 
under  Captain  Jones.  To  these  was  added  a 
merchant  ship  called  the  Pallas,  commanded 
by  Capt.  Denis  Nicholas  Cottineau.  She  was 
armed  with  thirty-two  guns.  Then  a  brig, 
called  the  Vengeance,  Captain  Ricot  (also  a 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  233 

Frenchman),  was  secured,  and  then  the  squad 
ron  was  completed  with  a  man-o'-war  cutter 
carrying  eighteen  small  guns. 

It  was  at  first  intended  that  Lafayette,  with 
a  considerable  force  of  soldiers,  should  go  with 
the  fleet  and  make  a  flying  assault  upon  Liver 
pool,  but  this  project  was  abandoned  because 
the  French  meditated  a  more  formidable  as 
sault  upon  the  somewhat  "  tight  little  isle." 
Then  a  general  cruise  against  British  com 
merce  was  proposed  and  carried  out. 

But  before  any  detail  of  this  cruise  is  given 
a  paragraph  must  be  inserted  here  from  a 
letter  of  instructions  which  Franklin,  as  the 
head  of  the  American  commissioners  in  France, 
sent  to  Captain  Jones.  When  considered  in 
connection  with  the  act  of  Parliament  by 
which  American  prisoners  in  England  were 
starved,  it  is  worth  printing  in  italics  : 

"  As  many  of  your  officers  and  people  have 
recently  escaped  from  English  prisons,  you  are 
to  be  particularly  attentive  to  their  conduct 
toward  the  prisoners  which  the  fortune  of  war 
may  throw  into  your  hands,  lest  the  resentment 
of  the  more  than  barbarous  usage  by  the  English 
in  many  places  toward  the  Americans,  should 
occasion  a  retaliation  and  imitation  of  what 
ought  rather  to  be  detested  and  avoided  for  the 
sake  of  humanity  and  for  the  honor  of  our 
country''1 


234  THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY 

It  was  on  February  4,  1779,  that  Captain 
Jones  was  ordered  to  the  Borihomme  Richard. 
It  was  not  until  June  igth  that  he  was  able  to 
sail  with  his  little  fleet.  He  had  a  right  to 
suppose  that  his  troubles  were  now  at  an  end, 
but  as  a  matter  of  fact  they  were  only  begun. 
Capt.  Pierre  Landais  was,  from  the  start, 
mutinous.  He  had  claimed  superiority  of 
rank,  and  this  not  being  allowed,  he  was  de 
termined  to  thwart  his  chief  in  every  way  pos 
sible.  On  the  first  night  out  he  ran  the 
Alliance  foul  of  the  Bonhomme  Richard  by 
steering  across  her  bows,  carrying  away  his 
own  mizzenmast  and  a  lot  of  the  headgear  of 
the  Bonhomme  Richard.  At  this  a  return  to 
port  became  necessary,  and  it  was  two  months 
before  the  investigation  by  the  authorities  and 
the  repairs  were  completed. 

Unfortunate  as  this  mishap  appeared  at  the 
time,  it  proved  in  the  end  a  blessing,  for  while 
lying  in  port  119  Americans  came  over  from 
England  through  an  exchange  of  prisoners,  and 
more  than  TOO  of  them  shipped  with  Captain 
Jones.  In  the  fight  that  was  to  come  not  a 
man  of  these  could  have  been  spared. 

When,  on  August  14,  1779,  the  fleet  once 
more  sailed  from  L'Orient,  it  had  been  aug 
mented  by  the  Monsieur  and  the  Granville, 
two  very  good  French  privateers.  But,  al 
though  they  added  to  the  number  of  guns, 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  235 

they  were  a  source  of  trouble.  When  four 
days  out  the  Monsieur  captured  a  Holland 
ship  that  was  in  the  hands  of  a  British  crew. 
The  captain  of  the  Monsieur  appropriated  this 
as  the  private  property  of  his  ship  instead  of 
the  property  of  the  squadron.  When  Jones 
interfered  the  two  privateers  left  the  squadron. 
As  they  were  Frenchmen  many  of  their  coun 
trymen  in  the  fleet  sympathized  with  them, 
and  discontent  was  thus  spread  in  the  crews. 

On  August  2ist  a  brigantine  was  captured 
and  sent  to  L'Orient.  On  the  23d,  off  Cape 
Clear,  the  Bonhomme  Richard,  during  a  calm, 
was  set  toward  some  rocks  by  a  current. 
When  some  rowboats  were  lowered  with  a 
line  to  tow  her  clear  some  Englishmen  in  one 
of  them  cut  the  tow-line  and  made  a  success 
ful  dash  for  shore.  Sailing  Master  Lunt  pur 
sued  them  in  another  boat,  was  lost  in  a  fog, 
and  was  finally  obliged  to  go  ashore.  He  was, 
of  course,  sent  to  Mill  prison. 

On  the  2^.th  Captain  Landais  came  on  board 
the  flagship,  and  in  a  most  insolent  manner 
accused  Captain  Jones  of  losing  the  men 
through  incapacity.  He  declared  that  "he 
was  the  only  American  in  the  squadron  and 
was  determined  to  follow  his  own  opinion  in 
chasing  when  and  where  he  thought  proper, 
and  in  every  other  matter  that  concerned  the 
service." 


236 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


And  he  did  it,  too.  Had  he  done  no  worse 
Captain  Jones  would  have  been  thankful. 

On  the  26th  the  squadron  separated  in  a 
gale,  only  the  Vengeance  and  a  captured  brigan- 


• 


, 


Pierre  Landais. 
From  a  copy,  at  the  Lenox  Library,  of  a  miniature. 

tine  remaining  in  sight  of  the  flagship,  but  on 
September  ist,  while  the  flagship  was  chasing 
a  vessel  near  the  Flannen  Islands,  the  Alliance 
was  sighted  with  a  prize  she  had  taken.  The 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  237 

prize  proved  very  valuable,  for  she  was  well 
loaded  with  all  sorts  of  rigging  and  stores  that 
were  in  route  to  Quebec  for  use  in  fitting  out 
a  fleet  on  the  American  lakes. 

On  September  2d  the  Pallas  was  sighted, 
and  two  days  later  a  Shetland  pilot  was  taken, 
and  Captain  Jones  called  a  council  of  his  cap 
tains  to  consider  the  news  obtained  from  him. 
Captain  Landais  refused  to  attend  this,  even 
when  a  written  order  to  do  so  was  sent  him. 
However,  he  continued  with  the  squadron  that 
then  sailed  down  the  east  coast  of  Scotland, 
until  September  8th,  when  his  vessel  disap 
peared  once  more. 

The  squadron  now  consisted  of  but  two  ves 
sels  beside  the  flagship — the  Vengeance  and  the 
Pallas.  The  Ccrf  had  disappeared  in  the  gale. 
On  the  1 3th  the  Cheviot  Hills  were  descried, 
and  on  nearing  the  coast  next  day  a  ship  and 
a  brig  were  captured.  From  the  crews  of 
these  it  was  learned  that  there  was  no  land 
battery  to  defend  Leith,  and  that  the  only 
armed  vessel  in  the  firth  or  bay  on  which  it 
stands  carried  but  twenty  guns. 

Captain  Jones  called  the  captains  of  the 
other  two  ships  on  board  and  proposed  an 
attack  on  Leith.  "  It  is  a  matter  of  the  ut 
most  importance  to  teach  the  enemy  humanity 
by  some  exemplary  stroke  of  retaliation,"  he 
said.  He  explained  that  they  could  at  once 


238  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

capture  some  people  of  note  to  hold  as  hos 
tages,  and  could  so  alarm  the  nation  that  pub 
lic  attention  would  be  drawn  to  the  north  and 
away  from  the  south  coast,  where  the  French 
were  really  preparing  to  invade.  The  French 
captains  hesitated  and  argued  half  the  night 
away,  until  Jones  proposed  to  levy  a  heavy 
contribution  on  both  Leith  and  Edinburgh 

o 

that  lay  just  behind  Leith.  Then  they  agreed 
with  enthusiasm,  but  they  had  really  lost  their 
opportunity. 

Returning  to  their  ships,  the  captains  made 
sail  for  Leith.  The  little  squadron  succeeded 
in  entering  the  firth,  and  got  as  far  as  Kirk- 
caldy.  They  had,  meantime,  been  seen  from 
the  coasts  roundabout,  and  especially  from  the 
heights  of  Edinburgh,  so  that  the  country-side 
was  in  a  terrible  state  of  alarm.  But  luck  was 
against  the  fleet,  and  the  only  result  of  the 
attempt  on  Leith  that  is  worth  mention  is  a 
good  story  of  the  parson  of  the  Kirkcaldy 
Church. 

The  tide  had  run  well  out  as  the  fleet  ap 
proached  Kirkcaldy.  Some  of  the  women  of 
the  town,  at  the  first  alarm  of  the  coming  of 
"the  pirate,"  ran  to  the  parson  for  protection. 
In  answer  to  their  cries  he  picked  up  the  arm 
chair  in  his  study,  and  with  it  ran  down  to  the 
low-water  mark  on  the  beach.  He  was  in  a 
perspiration  when  he  got  there  and  very  much 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR   NAVY  239 

out  of  breath,  but  as  his  flock  gathered  around 
him  he  plumped  himself  down  in  his  chair, 
facing  the  sea,  and  appealed  to  Almighty  God 
as  follows  : 

"  Now,  Lord,  dinna  ye  think  it  is  a  shame 
for  ye  to  send  this  vile  pirate  to  rob  our  folk 


Leith    Pier  and   Harbor. 
From  an  old  engraving. 


o'  Kirkcaldy  ?  For  ye  ken  they  are  puir 
enough  already,  and  hae  naething  to  spare. 
They  are  all  fairly  guid,  and  it  wad  be  a  pity 
to  serve  them  in  sic  a  wa'.  The  wa'  the  wind 
blows,  he'll  be  here  in  a  jiffy,  and  wha  kens 
what  he  may  do?  He  is  nane  too  guid  for 
onything.  Muckle's  the  mischief  he  has  done 
already.  Ony  pocket  gear  they  hae  gathered 


240  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

thegither,  he  will  gang  wi'  the  whole  o't,  and 
maybe  burn  their  houses,  tak'  their  cla'es,  and 
strip  them  to  their  sarks !  And  wae's  me ! 
Wha  kens  but  the  bluidy  villain  may  tak'  their 
lives?  The  puir  women  are  maist  frightened 
out  o'  their  wuts,  and  the  bairns  skreeking 
after  them.  I  canna  tho't  it !  I  canna  tho't 
it !  /  hae  been  long  a  faithfu  servant  to  ye, 
Lord ;  but  gin  ye  dinna  turn  the  wind  about, 
and  blow  the  scoundrel  out  o'  our  gate,  I'll 
nae  stir  a  foot,  but  just  sit  here  until  the  tide 
comes  in  and  drowns  me.  Sac  tak'  your  wull 
ot,  Lord!  " 

While  the  parson  prayed  came  one  of  the 
sudden  squalls  down  from  the  mountains.  The 
squalls  are  common  enough  at  that  season, 
but  the  parson's  flock,  on  seeing  the  bay 
flecked  over  with  the  white  foam  ripped  by 
a  contrary  wind  from  the  tiny  waves,  with  one 
accord  shouted  that  the  parson's  prayer  had 
been  answered.  The  parson  was  so  proud  of 
his  prayer  that  he  wrote  it  out  for  his  ad 
mirers,  and  so  it  has  been  preserved  for  the 
amusement  of  posterity. 

As  the  old  parson  told  the  Lord,  "  the  pi 
rate  "  would  have  been  upon  them  all  "  in  a 
jiffy" — had  he  not  been  delayed  by  the  argu 
ment  with  his  captains,  he  would  have  reached 
Leith  before  the  wind  came  out  of  the  west. 
It  seems  singular  at  the  first  look  that  Jones 


THE    HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY  241 

should  have  consulted  the  captains  at  all,  but 
it  must  be  told  that  he  was  obliged  to  do  so 
because  the  jealous  Landais  had,  before  sail 
ing,  succeeded  in  getting  the  French  minister 
to  order  such  consultations  when  matters  of 
great  importance  were  in  hand.  The  squad 
ron  was  sailing  under  the  American  flag,  but 
it  had  French  orders. 

On   leaving   the  Frith  of  Forth  the  French 

o 

captains  became  mutinous  through  fear  of  the 
British  fleet  sure  to  be  sent  from  the  south 
when  the  tale  of  the  attempt  on  Leith  was 
told  there.  They  gave  the  captain  until  the 
22d  to  make  sail  for  other  waters,  and  threat 
ened  to  leave  him  if  he  did  not  do  so.  But 
they  thought  better  of  it  afterwards. 

The  Pallas  did,  indeed,  disappear  on  the 
22d  while  the  squadron  was  near  Flambor- 
ough  Head,  but  on  the  morning  of  the  23d 
the  flagship,  with  the  Vengeance,  fell  in  with 
her  at  daylight  and  found  the  Alliance  with 
her. 

It  should  be  told,  by  the  way,  that  on  the 
22d,  while  the  Bonhomme  Richard  was  lying 
close  in  shore,  she  was  accosted  by  a  man  in  a 
small  boat  who  said  he  had  been  sent  by  a 
member  of  Parliament  living  near  the  coast  to 
ask  for  some  powder  and  bullets  for  defence 
against  "the  pirate  Jones,"  who  was  known  to 
be  on  the  coast.  The  Bonhomme  Richard  had 

16 


242 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 


been  mistaken    for   a   British    warship.      Cap 
tain    Jones    sent    a    barrel  of    powder  ashore 


iiMSeQfi 


From  an  engraving  by  Guttenberg,  after  a  drawing  by  Notte,  in  the  collection  of 
Mr.  W.  C.  Crane. 

with  a  message  of  regret  saying   that   he  had 
no  projectiles  of  proper  size. 

But  the  day  of  all  days  in  the  career  of  John 
Paul  Jones,  the  23d  of  September,  1779,  was 


THE   HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  243 

now  at  hand.  At  noon,  as  the  four  vessels  of 
the  squadron  were  jogging  along  to  the  north, 
they  saw  with  mingled  feeling  of  consterna 
tion  and  hope  a  fleet  that  numbered  forty-two 
ships  come  around  Flamborough  Head.  If 
this  was  a  war  fleet  the  fate  of  the  squadron 
under  the  American  flag  was  sealed,  and  he 
who  was  called  in  British  state  papers  "  the 
pirate  Jones,  a  rebel  subject  and  criminal  of 
the  state,"  would  hang  at  Execution  Dock. 
If  it  was  a  merchant  fleet  under  an  ordinary 
convoy  the  condition  of  affairs  would  be  dif 
ferent — it  would  be  a  most  exhilarating  condi 
tion  of  affairs.  There  was  a  light  breeze  at 
the  time  and  the  big  fleet  was  well  inshore. 
As  Captain  Jones,  after  a  prolonged  examina 
tion,  concluded  that  he  had  merchantmen  in  a 
convoy  of  two  frigates  before  him,  he  saw  a 
small  boat  pull  hastily  off  to  the  larger  of  the 
two  frio-ates  and  a  man  mounted  from  it  to  her 

o 

deck.  A  moment  later  three  signal  flags  were 
fluttering  from  the  maintruck  of  the  frigate 
and  a  gun  was  fired  to  windward — a  signal  to 
the  merchantmen  to  seek  safety  in  flight. 

In  wild  confusion  the  merchantmen  obeyed, 
scattering  hither  and  yon  ;  but  the  frigates,  one 
of  which  was  the  Serapis,  Captain  Pearson, 
of  fifty  guns,  and  the  other  the  Countess  of 
Scarborough,  Captain  Piercy,  of  twenty-two 
six-pounders,  bravely  bore  down  to  meet  the 


244  THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 

enemy,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  Yankee 
fleet  numbered  four  to  their  two.  The  cap 
tains  of  these  two  English  ships  were  so  far 
worthy  foes  of  any  naval  commander  that 
ever  sailed. 

Captain  Jones  now  had  what  appeared  an 
opportunity  to  not  only  capture  two  good 
warships  of  the  enemy  without  a  too  severe 
fight,  but,  with  good  luck,  some  of  the  convoy. 
But  once  more  the  insubordination  of  Lan- 
dais  on  the  Alliance  became  manifest,  and 
well-nigh  fatally.  He  not  only  refused  to 
obey  the  signal  of  the  flagship  to  fall  in  line, 
but  he  sailed  up  near  the  Pallas  and  said  to 
her  captain  : 

"  If  it  is  a  ship  of  more  than  fifty  guns  we 
have  nothing  to  do  but  to  run  away." 

Fortunately,  Captain  Cottineau  saw  that 
more  glory  was  to  be  obtained  by  fighting  the 
enemy  than  in  quarrelling  with  the  flag  officer, 
and  he  gallantly  sailed  to  meet  the  smaller 
British  frigate. 

The  Alliance  was  held  aloof.  The  Ven 
geance  was  too  far  away  to  take  part  in  the 
battle. 

In  the  movements  of  the  fighting  ships  that 
followed,  the  wind  was  so  light  that  they 
merely  drifted  over  the  oil-smooth  water.  The 
sun  sank  out  of  sight  behind  the  hills  and  day 
light  faded  away  into  darkness  so  that  even 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  245 

the  lofty  towers  of  canvas  were  seen  only  as 
the  faintest  shadows.  But  each  side  was  hunt 
ing  for  the  other,  and  eventually,  in  the  pro 
found  silence  of  a  night  at  sea,  the  Bonhomme 
Richard  and  the  Serapis  drew  near  each  other. 
When  but  ten  yards  away  from  each  other  a 
voice  from  the  Serapis  demanded  : 

"What  ship  is  that  ?" 

"I  can't  hear  what  you  say,"  replied  Jones, 
wishing  to  get  nearer  before  opening  fire.  For 
a  moment  the  ships  drifted  on  in  silence  as  be 
fore,  and  then  the  voice  was  heard  once  more 
through  the  nicrht : 

o  o 

"  What  ship  is  that  ?  Answer,  or  I  shall  be 
under  the  necessity  of  firing  into  you." 

Instead  of  answering  the  hail,  Captain  Jones 
in  a  low  voice  passed  the  word  to  fire,  and  the 
next  instant  the  spurting  flames  from  the 
American  guns  were  answered,  as  it  were,  in 
the  same  breath  by  those  of  the  British,  and 
the  night  battle  was  begun.  It  was  then  ex 
actly  seven  o'clock. 

At  the  first  fire  two  of  the  three  eighteen- 
pounders  in  the  lower-deck  broadside  of  the 
Bonhomme  Richard  burst.  "  We  could  see 
that  as  we  sighted  for  our  next  broadside, 
because  we  could  see  how  they  hove  up  the 
gun-deck  above  them,"  wrote  Capt.  Francis 
Heddart,  who  was  a  midshipman  on  the  Sera- 
pis  during  the  fight.  And  the  midshipman 


The  Engagement  between  the  Bonhomme  Richard  and  Serapis. 
From  an  engraving  by  Hamilton  of  a  drawing  by  Collier. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  247 

and  his  men  noted  with  glee  that  thereafter 
none  of  these,  the  heaviest  guns  on  the  Yan 
kee's  ship,  was  fired.  The  crews  of  the  two 
guns  that  burst  were  all  either  killed  or  seri 
ously  wounded,  and  the  men  on  that  deck  were 
called  up  to  the  main  deck  to  help  work  the 
guns  there.  And  most  remarkable  results  fol 
lowed  on  this  move. 

The  Scrapis  had  entered  the  fight  close- 
hauled  on  the  port  tack  and  to  leeward.  The 
Bonhomnie  Richard,  running  free,  sailed  across 
the  enemy's  bow  and  then  came  to  the  wind, 
while  the  enemy  veered  off  a  little,  and  there 
after  for  one  hour  the  two  ships  drifted  side 
by  side,  drawing  slowly  nearer  to  each  other, 
while  the  men,  with  desperate  energy,  worked 
their  guns.  But  there  was  a  vast  difference  in 
the  guns.  "  We  had  ten  eighteen-pounders 
in  each  battery  below,"  wrote  an  officer  of  the 
Scrapis  afterward.  "  I  do  not  see  why  any  shot 
should  have  failed." 

And  no  shot  of  that  battery  did  fail  during 
the  first  hour,  and  when  they  failed  later  it 
was  because  they  had  shot  the  six  ports  of  the 
Bonhomme  Richard  into  one  huge  chasm,  not 
only  on  the  side  of  her  next  to  them,  but  on 
the  further  side  as  well,  so  that  when  they  fired 
some  of  the  battery  the  balls  passed  clear  and 
fell  into  the  sea  beyond.  There  was  not  a 
splinter  of  the  American  ship  left  in  front 


248  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

of  them.  They  had  not  only  cut  away  the 
walls  of  the  Bonhomme  Richard ;  they  had 
practically  cleared  her  lower  gundeck.  There 
was  no  one  left  there  save  only  a  few  marines 
that  guarded  the  line  of  boys  passing  car 
tridges  from  the  magazine  up  to  the  guns  on 
the  upper  deck. 

Nor  was  that  the  worst  effect  the  English 
fire  had  had  upon  the  Bonhomme  Richard. 
Taking  advantage  of  the  rolling  of  the  vessels 
in  the  long  gentle  swell,  the  English  had  been 
able  to  send  a  half  dozen  of  their  eighteen- 
pound  shot  into  the  Bonhomme  Richard  below 
the  water-line,  and  she  was  "leaking  like  a 
basket." 

By  this  time  the  Serapis,  having  the  wind  of 
the  Bonhomme  Richard,  drew  ahead,  intending 
to  lie  across  the  latter's  bows  and  rake  her. 
But  the  captain  miscalculated  his  distance,  got 
too  far  down  in  front,  yawed  off,  and  then 
putting  his  helm  alee,  came  to  the  wind  fair  in 
front  of  the  Bonhomme  Richard.  A  minute 
later  the  Bonhomme  Richard  ran  her  jibboom 
over  the  stern  of  the  Serapis,  and  then,  because 
no  great  gun  would  bear  on  either  side,  the 
fire,  save  for  an  occasional  musket  shot,  ceased. 

For  a  moment  the  two  ships  hung  together 
in  silence,  and  then  the  voice  of  Captain  Pear 
son  was  heard  asking  if  the  American  ship  had 
surrendered.  And  John  Paul  Jones  replied  : 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  249 

"  I  have  not  yet  begun  to  fight." 
By  the  shifting  of  sails  the  two  ships  drifted 
apart.  Once  more  the  commander  of  the  Ser- 
apis  strove  to  get  into  position  to  rake,  but 
as  the  Serapis  wore  around,  the  Bonhomme 
Richard  forged  ahead.  Jones  was  determined 
to  keep  close  to  the  enemy,  and  soon  the  jib- 


8.05 

,8.10 

&  7.45 


7.45  9.00 

Serapis  X  7.15  Serapis 

Anahciml 


DIAGRAM  OF  THE  r\  BonhommeX 

SERAEIS-BOXHOMME  RICHARD 
BATTLE. 

Serapis    '-^       Bonhomme  Bichard  -$£* 


Note. — At  7.30  o'clock,  when  John  Paul  Jones  said,  "  I  have  not 
yet  begun  to  fight,"  the  bow  of  his  ship  was  against  the  stern  of  the 
Serapis.  He  then  backed  his  sails  and  went  astern  while  the  enemy, 
with  full  sails,  went  ahead  until,  say,  7.45,  when  the  Serapis  backed  her 
foretopsail  and  wore  around,  bow  from  the  wind,  and  came  back. 
Meantime  Jones  had  filled  away,  and  the  two  ships  got  together  at, 
say,  8.10  o'clock  just  where  they  had  first  touched.  They  then  drifted 
westerly  until  9  o'clock,  when  the  Serapis  anchored. 

boom  of  the  Serapis  fouled  the  starboard  miz- 
zen  rigging  of  the  Bonhomme  Richard. 

Turning  to  Carpenter  Stacy,  who  was  near 
at  hand,  Jones  ordered  a  hawser  brought. 


250  THE    HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 

When  it  came  he  helped  with  his  own  hands 
to  lash  the  jibboom  of  the  Serapis  fast  to 
the  mizzenmast  of  the  Bonhomme  Richard. 
While  doinor  this  the  hawser  fouled  in  some 

o 

way  and  Stacy  began  to  curse.     . 

"  Don't  swear,  Mr.  Stacy,"  said  Jones.  "  In 
another  moment  we  all  may  be  in  eternity,  but 
let  us  do  our  duty." 

They  did  their  duty,  and  the  ships  were  held 
hard  and  fast,  and  John  Paul  Jones  empha 
sized  his  faith  in  what  had  been  done  by  say 
ing  : 

"  Well  done,  my  brave  lads.  We  have  got 
her  now." 

And  so  they  had  in  one  way.  One  anchor 
of  the  Serapis  dropped  over  on  the  Bonhomme 
Richard,  and  was  secured  where  it  would  help 
to  hold  her,  and  more  lashings  were  passed 
elsewhere.  Even  when  the  Serapis  anchored 
she  could  not  get  away.  But  in  the  sense  of 
capturing  the  Serapis,  never  was  such  a  tri 
umphant  cry  raised  with  a  less  hope  of  ac 
complishing  the  result. 

The  ships  now  lay  with  their  starboard  sides 
together.  During  the  last  half  hour  or  so  the 
crew  of  the  Serapis  had  been  working  their 
port  battery.  When  they  ran  across  to  work 
their  starboard  guns  they  were  unable  to  open 
their  ports  amidships  because  the  ships  were 
touching  each  other,  so  they  fired  through 


THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY  251 

their  own  closed  ports,  blowing  the  port-lids 
off. 

On  the  Bonhomme  Richard  the  men  were 
no  less  determined.  Their  remaining  guns 
were  fought  even  with  cheerful  vigor.  Lieut. 
Richard  Dale  used  to  tell  how,  on  going  down 
on  the  gundeck,  he  saw  a  gun's  crew  of  his 
men  racing  with  a  crew  over  in  the  Serapis  to 
see  which  would  get  loaded  first.  The  ships 
were  side  to  side  and  the  guns  were  muzzle- 
loaders.  Each  crew,  to  get  its  charge  set  home, 
had  to  poke  its  long-handled  rammer  through 
the  enemy's  port  before  it  could  be  inserted 
into  the  gun's  bore. 

"  Fair  play,  you  damned  Yankee,"  roared  an 
English  gunner,  poking  his  rammer  through 
the  Yankee's  port. 

"  Mind  your  eye,  Johnny  Bull,"  replied  the 
Yankee,  following  the  same  movement. 

Alas!  the  "  Johnny  Bull"  had  been  a  trifle 
ahead  of  the  "damned  Yankee,"  and  firing  his 
gun,  he  dismounted  that  on  the  Bonhomme 
Richard. 

The  British  were,  in  fact,  soon  quite  as  suc 
cessful  in  their  handling  of  the  main-deck  bat 
tery  as  they  had  been  with  that  on  the  lower 
deck.  Every  twelve-pounder  but  one  on  the 
Bonhomme  Richard  was  silenced  in  one  way 
and  another,  and  so,  too,  were  the  little  nine- 
pounders  on  the  forecastle.  There  were  then 


cq      :5 


THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY  253 

but  two  cannon  left  in  service  on  the  Bon- 
homme  Richard,  the  two  nine-pounders  on  the 
fighting  side  of  the  quarter-deck. 

John  Paul  Jones  had  been  working  these 
two  with  his  own  hands,  loading  one  with 
double  shot  to  cut  down  the  enemy's  main 
mast,  and  the  other  with  grape  and  canister 
to  sweep  away  the  crew  on  her  deck. 

In  this  desperate  strait  and  when  just  in 
the  act  of  ordering  another  nine-pounder 
brought  from  the  off  side  that  he  might  use  it 
on  the  crew  of  the  Serapis,  his  chief  surgeon 
came  up  from  below  to  announce  that  the 
water  was  coming  in  so  fast  as  to  float  the 
wounded,  and  to  ask  that  the  ship  be  surren 
dered  before  she  sank  with  all  hands. 

Turning  on  the  surgeon  with  perfect  self- 
possession,  Captain  Jones  replied,  as  if  as 
tounded  at  the  request  : 

"  What,  Doctor  !  Would  you  have  me  strike 
to  a  drop  of  water?  Here,  help  me  get  this 
gun  over." 

The  doctor  ran  back  to  the  wounded  with 
out  delay,  but  Jones  got  the  gun  over,  and  he 
served  it,  too. 

A  squad  of  twenty  marines  under  Colonel 
de  Chamilard  had  fled  from  the  quarter-deck, 
where  they  had  been  stationed  to  pick  off  the 
enemy's  gun  crews. 

The    enemy    made    an    attempt    to    board. 


254  THE    HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 

John  Paul  Jones,  with  a  few  men,  pikes  in 
hand,  stopped  him.  The  moonlight  was  now 
bright,  and  seeing  this  man  before  them — this 
"  pirate  "  —they  quailed. 

Meantime  matters  had  been  going  from  bad 
to  worse  below  decks  on  the  Bonhomme  Rich 
ard.  Not  only  was  she  steadily  filling  with 
water  ;  the  blazing  wads  from  the  enemy's  guns 
had  set  her  afire  in  several  places.  These  fires 
spread  rapidly  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  some 
men  sent  below. 

And  then  came  the  Alliance  under  Captain 
Landais.  Sailing  across  the  bow  of  the  Bon 
homme  Richard  and  the  stern  of  the  Serapis, 
of  course,  as  they  lay  together,  he  fired  a 
broadside.  The  forecastle  of  the  Bonhomme 
Richard  received  the  greater  part  of  the  pro 
jectiles,  and  Midshipman  Caswell  was  killed, 
while  ten  or  a  dozen  seamen  were  killed 
and  wounded.  Private  signals  .were  set,  and 
a  score  of  voices  yelled  to  the  Alliance  that 
they  were  firing  into  the  wrong  ship  ;  but 
coming  down  on  the  broadside  of  the  Bon- 

o 

homme  Richard,  she  fired  again,  so  that  the 
cry  arose  : 

"The  Alliance  has  been  captured  by  the 
British  and  is  now  attacking  us." 

It  is  likely  that  this  was  the  only  moment 
when  John  Paul  Jones  thought  of  yielding, 
but  as  the  Alliance  drew  off  he  continued  the 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  255 

fight  not  only  against  the  enemy,  but  against 
the  fire  and  water  in  his  own  ship. 

And  more  to  be  feared  were  the  fire  and 
water.  The  ship  was  filling,  and  when  the  car 
penter  tried  the  water,  he  found  it  five  feet 
deep  in  her  hold,  while  the  fire  was  rapidly 
approaching  the  magazine.  On  coming  from 
the  well,  he  said  disconsolately  that  the  ship 
would  sink.  At  that  the  Master  at  Arms  lib 
erated  the  prisoners,  two  or  three  hundred  in 
number,  who  were  confined  below,  and  told 
them  to  save  themselves.  The  strucrofle  and 

oo 

confusion  that  followed  as  these  men  came 
from  their  quarters  were  frightful.  Here  were, 
indeed,  many  more  English  subjects  running 
free  than  all  the  crew  of  the  Bonhoimne  Rich 
ard  who  were  below  decks. "  There  were  al 
most  as  many  as  the  entire  crew.  Then  the 
gunner,  who  had  heard  the  remark  about 
sinking  and  had  seen  the  prisoners  liberated, 
ran  to  the  poop-deck,  and  in  a  panic  of  fear 
strove  to  find  the  signal  halliards  that  he  might 
haul  down  the  flag  in  token  of  surrender.  He 
was  shouting  as  he  ran  : 

"Quarter!  for  God's  sake,  quarter!  Our 
ship  is  sinking";  but  John  Paul  Jones  heard  the 
words,  and  turning  around,  he  hurled  an  empty 
pistol  at  the  man's  head,  fractured  his  skull  by 
the  blow,  and  knocked  him  headlong  down  the 
hatch. 


256  THE   HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

"  Do  you  call  for  quarter?"  shouted  Cap 
tain  Pearson,  who  had  heard  the  cry. 

"  Never  !"  replied  John  Paul  Jones. 

"  Then  I'll  give  you  none,"  replied  Pearson, 
and  the  fight  went  on,  while  Jones  sent  his 
resourceful  lieutenant,  Richard  Dale,  below 
to  see  why  the  cartridges  of  powder  were  no 
longer  coming  up,  for  neither  he  nor  Dale  at 
this  moment  knew  that  the  prisoners  had  been 
released. 

But  when  he  saw  the  condition  of  affairs  be 
low,  Dale,  instead  of  quailing,  with  ready  wit 
told  the  prisoners  that  the  Serapis  was  just 
sinking  and  their  only  hope  of  life  was  in  keep 
ing  the  Bonhomme  Richard  afloat.  At  this  the 
whole  mob  of  them  went  to  the  pumps  and 
to  fighting  the  fire.  They  worked  in  gangs 
till  they  dropped  from  sheer  exhaustion,  when 
other  cranes  took  their  places. 

O  O  1 

There  was  one  of  them — a  captain  of  a  cap 
tured  ship — who  did  not  believe  the  story.  He 
climbed  through  the  ports  to  the  Serapis  and 
told  of  the  hopeless  condition  of  the  Ameri 
can  crew.  But  his  story  was  discredited  be 
cause  of  an  extraordinary  occurrence  on  the 
Serapis.  As  the  ships  lay  together  the  main- 
yard  of  the  Bonhomme  Richard  stretched  fair 
over  the  main  hatch  of  the  Serapis.  Noticing 
this  fact,  a  bright  marine  in  the  maintop  of 
the  Bonhomme  Richard  took  advantage  of  it. 


THE   HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  257 

The  marines  in  the  tops  had  been  of  the  ut 
most  service  in  clearing  the  decks  of  the 
enemy  already,  but  this  man,  with  a  leather 
bucket  of  hand  grenades  and  a  candle,  climbed 
out  on  the  mainyard  until  over  the  hatch  of 
the  Serapis,  and  then,  securing  his  bucket  to 
the  sheet-block,  he  began  dropping  the  lighted 
grenades  into  her  hold. 

The  hand  grenade  is  a  shell  near  the  weight 
of  a  baseball.  The  first  one  he  dropped  ex 
ploded  on  a  great  heap  of  gun  cartridges  that 
had  accumulated  along  the  lower  deck  behind 
the  guns.  A  tremendous  explosion  followed. 

"It  was  awful  !  Some  twenty  of  our  men 
were  fairly  blown  to  pieces.  There  were  other 
men  who  were  stripped  naked,  with  nothing 
on  but  the  collars  of  their  shirts  and  wrist 
bands.  Farther  aft  there  was  not  so  much 
powder,  perhaps,  and  the  men  were  scorched 
or  burned  more  than  they  were  wounded.  I 
do  not  know  how  I  escaped,  but  I  do  know 
that  there  was  hardly  a  man  forward  of  my 
guns  who  did  escape."  So  wrote  Captain 
Heddart,  already  quoted.  The  explosion  also 
set  the  Serapis  on  fire. 

That  was  the  decisive  moment  of  the  battle. 
While  the  British  had  been  disabling  all  but 
three  or  four  of  the  guns  on  the  upper  deck 
of  the  Bonhomme  Richard,  the  men  in  the  tops 
of  the  Yankee  ship  and  the  murderous  fire  of 
17 


Paul  Jones  Capturing  the  Serapis. 
From  an  engraving  of  the  picture  by  Chappel. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  259 

the  nine-pounders,  which  Jones  himself  had 
worked,  had  gradually  driven  all  the  men  off 
the  upper  deck  of  the  Serapis.  That  Captain 
Pearson  had  escaped  injury  is  a  marvel,  for  he 
had  with  undaunted  courage  directed  the  bat 
tle  from  the  quarter-deck.  But  as  the  smoke 
of  the  great  explosion  rose  through  his  hatches, 
he  found  himself  practically  alone,  while  Jones, 
with  a  cocked  pistol  in  hand,  was  rallying  his 
men  successfully  to  increase  the  fire  of  his 
upper-deck  guns. 

As  the  British  commander  saw  the  fight,  he 
was  now  without  men,  and  the  other  Yankee 
frigate  had  but  a  short  time  before  fired  a 

o 

broadside  from  which  some  balls  entered  the 
Serapis.  Captain  Pearson  knew  nothing  of 
the  treachery  on  the  Alliance.  He  knew 
nothing  (and  this  was  to  his  discredit)  of  the 
real  state  of  affairs  on  the  lower  decks  of  the 
Bbnhomme  Richard.  Going  to  his  flag  that 
had  been  nailed  to  the  mast,  he  tore  it  down 
with  his  own  hands. 

A  moment  later  John  Paul  Jones  saw  that 
the  flag  was  down,  and  with  such  feelings  of 
relief  as  can  scarcely  be  imagined,  gave  the 
order  "  cease  firing." 


CHAPTER    X 

AFTER    THE    SERAPIS   SURRENDERED 

RICHARD  DALE  TOO  BRIGHT  FOR  THE  BRITISH  LIEUTENANT — A  FAIR 
ESTIMATE  OF  CAPTAIN  PEARSON  OF  THE  SERAPIS—  THE  TREACH 
ERY  OF  LANDAIS — REMARKABLE  ESCAPE  FROM  TEXEL — HONORS 
FOR  THE  VICTOR — "THE  FAME  OF  THE  BRAVE  OUTLIVES  HIM  J 
HIS  PORTION  IS  IMMORTALITY." 

As  soon  as  the  flag  was  dragged  down  on 
the  Serapis,  John  Paul  Jones  ordered  Lieut. 
Richard  Dale  on  board  of  her  to  take  charge, 
but  before  he  could  do  so  the  mainmast  of 
the  Serapis  came  crashing  down,  pulling  the 
mizzentopmast  with  it.  Then  Dale  jumped 
on  the  rail  of  his  own  ship,  grasped  the  brace 
of  the  yard  from  which  the  lucky  hand-gre 
nade  had  been  dropped,  and  swung  himself 
down  on  the  deck  of  the  Serapis.  A  few  of 
his  crew  followed  him. 

"  As  he  made  his  way  aft  he  saw  a  solitary 
person  leaning  on  the  tafferil  in  a  melancholy 
posture,  his  face  resting  upon  his  hands.  It 
was  Captain  Pearson.  He  said  to  Dale, 

"  *  The  ship  has  struck.'  While  hurrying 
him  on  [the  Bonhomme  Richard^  an  officer 


262  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

came  from  below  and  observed  to  Captain 
Pearson,  that  the  ship  alongside  was  going 
down. 

"  '  We  have  got  three  guns  clear,  sir,  and 
they'll  soon  send  her  to  the  devil.' 

"  The  captain  replied, 

"  '  It's  too  late,  sir.  Call  the  men  off.  The 
ship  has  struck. 

"  '  /'//  go  below,  sir,  and  call  them  off  imme 
diately,'  and  he  was  about  to  descend  when 
Dale,  interfering,  said, 

"  '  No,  sir,  if  you  please  you 7/  come  on  board 
with  me!  ' 

The  above  is  quoted  from  the  "  British  Jour 
nal  "  of  an  old  date.  Dale  was  of  the  opin 
ion  that,  once  that  officer  got  below,  he  would 
have  disregarded  the  surrender — that  he  would 
have  used  the  three  guns  to  send  the  Bon- 
homme  Richard  "to  the  devil,"  as  he  had  pro 
posed  to  do.  That  he  might  have  done  so  is 
not  doubted. 

And  then  came  John  Paul  Jones  to  receive 
the  sword  of  the  defeated  Pearson.  Accord 
ing-  to  the  older  accounts  of  this  fight.  Pearson 

o  o 

said,  as  he  handed  his  sword  to  his  conqueror  : 
"  It  is  painful  to  deliver  up  my  sword  to  a 

man  who  has  fought  with  a  halter  around  his 

neck." 

To  this,  it  is  said,  Jones  replied  : 

"  Sir,  you   have   fought  like  a  hero  ;  and  I 


THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 


263 


John  Paul  Jones. 
After  a,  rare  engraving. 

make  no  doubt  your  sovereign  will  reward  you 
in  the  most  ample  manner." 

In  the  present  era  of  intense  desire  for  arbi 
tration  instead  of  war  a  historian  of  this  battle 
has  written  that  "  The  story  that  Captain  Pear- 


264  THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

son  said,  in  giving  up  his  sword,  that  it  added 
to  his  mortification  to  give  up  his  sword  to  a 
man  who  fought  with  a  rope  around  his  neck, 
is  an  idle  fabrication,  and  a  slur  on  Captain 
Pearson." 

Whether  Captain  Pearson  said  it  or  not 
cannot  now  be  definitely  determined,  but  the 
reader  shall  judge  for  himself,  further  on, 
whether  the  story  is  "  a  slur  on  "  him  or  not. 

The  fight  occurred  so  close  inshore  as  to  be 
plainly  visible  from  the  bluff  overlooking  the 
sea,  and  hundreds  of  people  from  the  country 
side  gathered  there  to  gaze  upon  the  scene. 
For  a  time,  of  course,  there  was  nothing  dis 
tinguishable  but  the  flash  of  the  guns  through 
the  night,  but  after  an  hour  the  moon  rose  out 
of  the  sea,  and  then  two  ships,  locked  in  the 
embrace  of  death,  stood  out  in  the  midst  of  a 
cloud  of  smoke.  That  these  spectators  looked 
on  confidently  rejoicing  in  the  prospect  of  a 
victory  for  their  own  ship,  need  not  be  doubted. 
How  they  rejoiced  as  they  thought  that  their 
shores  were  now  to  be  rid  of  the  "  pirates"  is 
easily  imagined  ;  but  who  shall  picture  their 
consternation  when  a  boatload  of  their  coun 
trymen  escaped  ashore  and  told  the  direful 
facts  ? 

To  show  the  spirit  in  which  English  histo 
rians  have  always  written  about  any  matter  in 
which  the  American  navy  had  part,  it  is  worth 


THE    HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY  265 

noting  that  Allen  ("  Battles  of  the  British 
Navy  "),  ignoring  the  presence  of  tens  of  thou 
sands  of  Hessians  in  the  British  forces  in 
America,  tries  to  throw  contempt  on  the  crew 
of  the  Bonhomme  Richard  by  calling  them 
"  hirelings,"  and  even  stigmatizes  the  estab 
lished  fact  of  the  treachery  of  Landais  as  an 
"  absurd  "  charge. 

A  brief  statement  of  the  comparative 
strength  of  the  two  ships  is  essential.  The 
Bonhomme  Richard  entered  the  fight  with 
forty-two  guns,  which  could  throw  557  pounds 
of  projectiles  at  a  discharge  ;  the  Scrapis  car 
ried  fifty,  throwing  600  pounds.  After  the 
first  broadside  the  Bonhomme  Richard  had  no 
eighteen-pounders  in  action,  while  the  Serapis 
had  twenty.  The  crew  of  the  American  ship 
had  been  reduced  to  304  by  the  drafts  made 
in  manning  prizes,  and  of  these  no  more  than 
one-third  were  Americans.  The  Serapis  car 
ried  320,  chiefly  picked  men.  So  effective  had 
been  the  work  of  the  crew  of  the  Serapis  that 
at  the  end  of  an  hour  any  ordinary  man  would 
have  surrendered  the  Bonhomme  Richard ;  but 
John  Paul  Jones  was  of  different  character 
from  ordinary  men.  With  a  tenacity  of  pur 
pose  that  has  never  been  surpassed,  he  con 
tinued  the  fight  and  won.  The  number  of 
killed  on  each  ship  was  forty-nine.  The  Se 
rapis  had  sixty-eight  wounded  and  the  Bon- 


266  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

komme  Richard  sixty-seven,  among  whom  were 
John  Paul  Jones  himself  and  Richard  Dale. 
Jones  was  hit  in  the  head,  and  the  wound 
afterwards  seriously  affected  his  eyes,  but  he 
said  nothing  about  it  in  his  report.  Dale  was 
wounded  by  a  splinter  during  the  fight,  but  did 
not  even  know  it  until  after  the  fight  was  over. 
While  sitting  on  the  binnacle  of  the  Scrapis 
and  giving  orders  to  get  her  under  way,  he 
found  she  did  not  move  when  her  sails  were 


vit-^^'^**^^*-^' 

^- 


Signature  of  Richard   Dale. 
From  a  letter  at  the  Lenox  Library. 

full.  He  did  not  then  kno\v  she  was  an 
chored.  Jumping  up  to  see  what  was  the 
matter,  he  fell  at  full  length  on  the  deck. 
His  blood  had  cooled  by  this  time,  and  the 
wound  disabled  him  then. 

The  smaller  British  ship  that  was  protect 
ing  the  convoy,  the  Countess  of  Scarborough, 
is  lost  to  sight  during  the  remarkable  conflict 
between  the  Serapis  and  the  Bonhomme  Rich 
ard,  but  she  was  forced  into  battle  by  the  gal 
lant  Captain  Piercy  of  the  Pallas,  and  for  two 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  267 

hours  she  maintained  it.  Then  she  surren 
dered.  The  Pallas  was  superior  to  her  in 
guns  and  crew,  but,  on  the  whole,  not  to  the 
extent  that  British  historians  would  have  their 
readers  believe,  for  the  Pallas  was  a  merchant 
ship  modelled  to  carry  cargo  only,  while  the 
Countess  of  Scarborough  was  built  as  a  man-of- 
war. 

Of  the  treachery  of  Captain  Lanclais  a  brief 
space  will  suffice  because,  as  already  said,  his 
disappointments  while  in  the  French  service 
had  made  him  partially  insane.  That  he  fired 
into  the  Bonhomme  Richard  was  proved  be 
yond  any  doubt  by  his  own  men,  some  of 
whom  (the  Americans)  refused  to  fire  the 
guns  at  his  order.  It  was  proved  by  his  own 
officers  (Frenchmen  at  that)  that  he  said  he 
would  have  "  thought  it  no  harm  if  the  Bon- 

o 

homme  Richard  had  struck,  for  it  would  have 
given  him  an  opportunity  to  retake  her  and  to 
take  the  Serapis"  A  sane  man  would  have 
been  executed  for  such  treachery  as  his,  of 
course,  but  he  was  very  properly  dismissed  only. 
He  settled  down  in  New  York  City  after  the 
war,  where  he  lived  on  an  income  of  $100  a 
year,  derived  from  prize  money  that  he  had 
obtained.  It  was  his  habit  to  take  a  walk  on 
lower  Broadway  every  day  when  the  weather 
and  his  health  permitted.  He  was  a  curious 
figure  there,  for  he  "  never  appeared  abroad 


268 


THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


with  his  old-fashioned  cocked  hat  in  its  legiti 
mate  station,"  but  "carrying  it  forever  in  his 


^<Xs  V%44Z^7Cr~4tsrt^ieStS^, 
'fr&t&£lLS  ^tS&^H^S/Tz.ObuULS  Sie*&tJS4^/&lJLJ    *s£*&^sCl£j  ^4f/t^if&  I/    *^*-£Z***-S 

/  y  /-~^r~^ 


'^^^^M^^^^^-^^ 


/%rt*f 


SS^i  S 

a^^^ty^-^/^^*. 

7  X^/CL    • 


A  Letter  from   Pierre  Landais. 
From  the  original  at  the  Lenox  Library. 

hand,  as  a  mark  of  homage  and  respect  to, 
and  in  commemoration  of  the  cruel  death  of 
his  beloved  sovereign." 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 


269 


John   Paul  Jones. 
From  a  miniature,  recently  found  (1897)  in  a  cellar  at  the  Naval  Academy. 

To  return  to  the  story  of  what  happened 
immediately  after  the  conclusion  of  the  battle 
between  the  Bonhomme  Richard  and  the  Sera- 
pis,  the  facts  may  best  be  given  in  the  words  of 
John  Paul  Jones  himself.  In  his  report  he  says  : 

"  I  had  yet  two    Enemies   to  encounter  far 


270  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

more  formidable  than  the  britons,  I  mean  fire 
and  Water,  the  Serapis  Was  attacked  only 
by  the  first,  but  B.  h.  R.  Was  assailed  by  both, 
there  was  five  feet  Water  in  the  hould,  and 
tho'  it  Was  moderate  from  Explosion  of  so 
much  gun  powder,  yet  the  three  pumps  that 
remained  could  with  difficulty  only  keep  the 
Water  from  gaining,  the  fire  broke  out  in 
Various  parts  of  the  Ship  in  spite  of  all  the 
Water  that  Could  be  thrown  (immediately)  to 
quench  it,  and  at  length  broke  out  as  low  as 
the  powder  magazine  and  within  a  few  inches 
of  the  powder,  in  that  dilema  I  took  out  the 
powder  upon  deck  ready  to  be  thrown  over 
board  at  the  last  extremity,  and  it  Was  ten 
O'clock  A.  M.  the  next  day  the  24  before  the  fire 
Was  entirely  extinguished.  With  respect  to 
the  Situation  of  the  B.  h.  R.  the  rudder  Was 
cut  Entirely  off  the  stern  frame  and  transoms 
Were  almost  Entire  Cut  away,  the  timbers  by 
the  lower  Deck  especially  from  the  mainmast 
to  the  stern,  being  greatly  decayed  With  age, 
were  mangled  beyond  my  power  of  descrip 
tion,  and  a  person  must  have  been  an  Eye 
Witness  to  form  a  Just  idea  of  the  tremendous 
scene  of  carnage,  Wreck  and  Ruin  that  Every 
Where  appeared,  humanity  cannot  but  Re 
coil  from  the  prospect  of  such  finished  horror 
and  Lament  that  War  should  produce  such 
fatal  consequences. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


271 


From  a  "very  rat 


John  Paul  Jones. 
ing  at  the  Navy  Department,  Washington* 


"  After  the  Carpinters  as  well  as  Captain  De 
Cottineau  and  other  men  of  Sense  had  well 
examined  and  Surveyed  the  Ship  (which  was 
not  finished  before  five  in  the  Evening)  I  found 


272  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

every  person  to  be  convinced  that  it  was  Im 
possible  to  keep  the  B.  h.  R.  afloat  So  as  to 
reach  a  port  if  the  Wind  should  increase  it 
being  then  only  a  very  moderate  breeze.  I 
had  but  little  time  to  remove  my  Wounded, 
which  now  became  unavoidable  and  which  Was 
effected  in  the  Course  of  the  night  and  next 
morning.  I  was  determined  to  keep  the  B.  h. 
R.  afloat  and,  if  possible,  to  bring  her  into 
port  for  that  purpose  the  first  Lieutenant  of 
the  Pallas  continued  on  board  with  a  party  of 
men  to  attend  the  pumps  with  boats  in  Waiting 
ready  to  take  them  on  board  in  Case  the 
water  should  gain  on  them  too  fast,  the  Wind 
augmented  in  the  Night  and  the  next  day  on 
the  25,  So  that  it  was  Impossible  to  prevent 
the  good  old  ship  from  Sinking,  they  did  not 
abandon  her  till  after  nine  o'clock,  the  Water 
was  then  up  to  the  Lower  deck,  and  a  little 
after  ten  I  saw  W'ith  inexpressible  grief  the 
last  glimpse  of  the  B.  h.  R." 

The  Bonhomme  Richard  had  gone  into  the 
fight  with  a  great  American  ensign,  four  times 
as  long  as  it  was  broad,  floating  in  the  breeze. 
It  was  shot  away  during  the  conflict  and  lay 
floating  over  the  stern  for  a  time,  but  it  was 
rescued.  And  when  it  was  seen  that  the  old  ship 
was  past  saving,  the  battle-torn  flag  was  hoisted 
to  its  old  place,  and  with  that  fluttering  in  the 
brisk  air  the  famous  old  ship  sank  out  of  sight. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


273 


John   Paul  Jones. 
From  an  engraving  by  Chapman  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  W.  C.  Crane. 

When  John  Paul  Jones  arrived  at  Texel  on 
October  3d  a  British  squadron  was  close  be 
hind  him.  Sending  in  to  the  Dutch  admiral, 
he  asked  permission  to  anchor  in  the  harbor. 
The  Dutch  were  not  then  at  war  with  the 
English,  and  their  admiral,  influenced  by  the 


274  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

attitude  of  the  Dutch  court,  which  was  not 
friendly  to  the .  Americans,  refused  the  per 
mission,  but  later  he  grudgingly  granted  it, 
and  the  Americans  arrived  in  after  a  narrow 
escape. 

The  conduct  of  Captain  Pearson  of  the 
Serapis  on  arrival  in  Texel  must  be  noted  be 
cause  it  helps  to  portray  that  of  his  conqueror. 
When  the  plate,  linen,  etc.,  that  had  been  taken 
from  the  Serapis  were  offered  to  him  by  John 
Paul  Jones,  he  refused  to  accept  it  from  Jones, 
but  said  he  would  take  it  if  offered  by  Captain 
Cottineau  of  the  Pallas.  "  Paul  Jones  mag 
nanimously  overlooked  this  vulgar  subterfuge, 
and  returned  it  through  Cottineau."  In  view 
of  this  undisputed  fact,  is  it  really  a  slur  on 
Captain  Pearson  to  suppose  that  he  said  what 
he  is  charged  with  saying  when  he  surrendered 
his  sword  ?  The  British,  through  their  ambas- 

o 

sador,  demanded  that  the  Serapis  and  her  con 
sort  be  returned  and  that  the  Americans  be 
delivered  up  as  pirates.  The  Holland  court 
did  not  yield  that  far,  though  they  compelled 
John  Paul  Jones  to  go  to  sea  in  the  face  of  a 
blockading  squadron,  and  because  the  request 
of  the  British  was  refused,  war  was  declared 
against  Holland.  And  so  the  victory  of  the 
Bonhomme  Richard  was  far-reaching  in  its 
effects. 

To    offset    the    manifest  advantages    which 


THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  275 

accrued  to  the  Americans  through  this  fight, 
and  especially  to  counteract  the  fear  and  de 
pression  which  it  occasioned  throughout  Eng 
land  and  Scotland,  the  British  ministry  adroitly 
chose  to  treat  Pearson  as  well  as  if  he  had 
obtained  a  victory.  He  was  made  a  knight, 
and  some  London  merchants  were  induced 
to  give  him  silver  plate  worth  ^100.  Piercy 
was  promoted,  and  got  silver  worth  ^50. 
When  John  Paul  Jones  heard  of  Pearson's 
luck  he  said  : 

11  He  has  deserved  it ;  and  if  I  should  have 
the  good  fortune  to  fall  in  with  him  again,  I 
will  make  him  a  lord." 

The  flight  of  John  Paul  Jones  from  Texel 
in  the  Alliance  was  characteristic  of  the  man, 
for  instead  of  taking  the  loner  route  around 

o  o 

the  north  of  the  British  Islands  he  boldly 
headed  for  the  narrow  Straits  of  Dover,  leav 
ing  port  in  a  howling  gale.  He  passed  so 
close  to  Dover  that  he  counted  the  warships 
in  the  Downs,  and  he  counted  those  at 
Spithead  also.  He  sailed  from  Texel  on 
December  27,  17/9,  and  he  reached  Comma 
on  January  i6th.  It  is  worth  noting  that 
throughout  this  extraordinary  passage  he 
kept  the  American  flag  flying. 

On  reaching  Paris,  John  Paul  Jones  was  the 
hero  of  the  day.  The  American  commis 
sioners  paid  him  every  honor.  The  king 


276 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


John  Paul  Jones's  Medal. 


(Louis  XVI)  gave  him  a  gold-hilted  sword 
appropriately  inscribed  and  the  Grand  Cross 
of  the  Order  of  Military  Merit.  When  he  ap 
peared  in  the  queen's  box  at  the  opera  the 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  277 

whole  audience  rose  up  to  cheer.  Later  in 
the  evening  a  laurel  wreath  was  suspended 
above  his  head,  but  he  left  his  seat  then — "  an 
instance  of  modesty  which  is  to  this  day  held 
up  as  a  model  to  French  schoolboys." 

In  the  autumn  of  1780  Jones  sailed  to 
America  in  the  Ariel  with  supplies  for  the 
American  army.  He  was  the  honored  guest 
of  the  greatest  men  of  the  nation.  The  Con 
gress  passed  resolutions  in  his  honor  three 
times.  It  gave  him  a  gold  medal,  and  it  placed 
him  at  the  head  of  the  navy,  which  was  an 
honor  that  he  had  fully  earned  and  which  was 
to  him  a  greater  satisfaction  than  all  other 
honors. 

Meantime  the  British  government  de 
nounced  John  Paul  Jones  as  a  pirate  and 
put  a  price  upon  his  head.  It  offered  ten 
thousand  guineas  for  him,  dead  or  alive,  and 
that  sum  then  was  equal  to  more  than  $100, 
ooo  now. 

It  is  to  the  glory  of  this  naval  captain  that 
it  was  so.  The  English  writers  to  this  day  de 
liberately  misrepresent  the  man.  They  strive 
to  distinguish  him  from  all  other  heroes  of  the 
American  Revolution  because  he  was  born  in 
Scotland.  They  pretend  to  admire  those  who 
were  born  in  the  colonies.  But  in  so  distin 
guishing  Jones  they  ignore  the  fact  that  the 
heroic  General  Montgomery,  who  perished 


278 


THE   HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 


before  the  icy  walls  of  Quebec,  was  born  in  Ire 
land,  as  was  Commodore  John  Barry,  another 
American  hero.  The  truth  is  that  John  Paul 
Jones  entered  the  American  navy  in  Decem 
ber,  1775,  when 
every  man  in  the 
service  was  a  citi 
zen  of  Great  Brit 
ain.  He  became 
a  citizen  of  the 
United  States 
when  the  new  na 
tion  was  born.  At 
the  end  of  the  war 
he  could  make  the 
proud  boast  that 
"I  have  never 
borne  arms  un 
der  any  but  the 
American  flag,  nor 
have  I  ever  borne 
or  acted  under 

John  Paul  Jones'  any  commission 

but  that  of  the  Con 
gress  of  America." 

"  I  have  ever  looked  out  for  the  Honour  of 
the  American  flag,"  he  writes  at  another  time, 
and  when,  at  the  last,  he  wrote  his  will  in  the 
face  of  death,  he  described  himself,  although 
he  had  been  loaded  with  honors,  simply  as 


From  an  engraving  in  the  collection  of  Mr. 
W.  C.  Crane. 


THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY 


279 


"John    Paul    Jones,    a    citizen    of   the    United 
States." 

"The  fame  of   the  brave  outlives   him  ;  his 
portion  is  immortality." 


vu 


A  Letter  from  John  Paul  Jones  to  Thomas  Jefferson. 
original  at  the  Lenox  Library. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  YEAR  1779  IN  AMERICAN  WATERS 

LUCKY  RAIDS  ON  BRITISH  TRANSPORTS  AND  MERCHANTMEN — DIS 
ASTROUS  EXPEDITION  TO  THE  PENOBSCOT — THE  TRUMBULL'S 
GOOD  FIGHT  WITH  THE  WATT—  THE  FIRST  YANKEE  LINE-OF- 
BATTLE-SHIP — WHEN  NICHOLSON,  WITH  A  WRECKED  SHIP  AND 
FIFTY  MEN,  FOUGHT  FOR  AN  HOUR  AGAINST  TWO  FRIGATES, 
EACH  OF  WHICH  WAS  SUPERIOR  TO  THE  YANKEE  SHIP — CAPTAIN 
BARRY'S  EXASPERATING  PREDICAMENT  IN  A  CALM — THE  LAST 
NAVAL  BATTLE  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 

WHILE  John  Paul  Jones  was  moving  heaven 
and  earth  to  get  away  to  sea  with  his  famous 
Bonhomme  Richard,  the  American  naval  ships 
in  home  waters  were  by  no  means  idle,  even 
though  British  successes,  with  combined  land 
and  naval  forces,  had  seriously  reduced  the 
fleet.  On  March  18,  1779,  a  squadron  consist 
ing  of  the  frigate  Warren,  thirty-two  guns, 
Capt.  John  Burroughs  \\baJsesr;  the  Queen 
of  France,  twenty-eight  guns,  Capt.  Joseph 
Olney,  and  the  famous  old  Ranger,  of  eigh 
teen  guns  (she  that  whipped  the  Drake),  un 
der  Captain  Simpson,  sailed  from  Boston.  A 
few  days  later  a  privateer  was  captured.  From 
her  crew  it  was  learned  that  a  fleet  of  armed 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  281 

transports  and  storeships  had  sailed  with  sup 
plies  from  New  York  for  the  British  army  in 
the  South. 

How  the  Yankee  squadron  crowded  on  sail 
in  pursuit  of  this  fleet  ;  how  the  ships  of  the 
fleet  were  sighted  two  days  later,  jogging 
along  at  the  ordinary  pace  of  the  slowest  ; 
and  how  they  came  to  the  wind  or  squared 
away  or  tacked  or  wore  ship  in  a  confused 
effort  to  escape  at  the  sight  of  the  Yankees 
would  have  been  something  worth  seeing  by 
any  one  interested  in  ocean  races. 

There  were  nine  of  the  transports,  and  seven 
were  taken.  These  included  \\\z.  Jason,  twenty 
guns  ;  the  Maria,  sixteen  guns  ;  the  Hibernia, 
eight  guns,  and  four  unarmed  transports. 
Captain  Campbell  and  twenty  other  English 
army  officers  were  in  the  fleet  en  route  to  join 
their  regiments,  and  these  were  by  no  means 
an  unimportant  part  of  the  capture  when  one 
recalls  the  treatment  Americans  were  receiv 
ing  from  the  British  when  captured. 

The  Captain  Hopkins  who  had  this  good 
luck  was  a  son  of  Esek  Hopkins,  the  first 
American  naval  captain.  He  carried  his  prizes 
into  port  at  once. 

Then,  in  May  the  frigate  Queen  of  France, 
under  Capt.  John  P.  Rathbourne  ;  the  Ranger, 
under  Simpson,  and  the  Providence  (twenty- 
eight  guns),  under  Capt.  Abraham  Whipple, 


282  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

went  on  a  cruise.  Whipple,  it  will  be  remem 
bered,  was  the  leader  of  the  party  disguised  as 
Indians  who,  with  paving  stones  as  their  chief 
weapons,  captured  and  destroyed  the  schooner 
Gaspe  in  the  first  salt-water  conflict  of  the  war 
(1772).  Captain  Rathbourne  was  he  who,  in 
the  little  brig  Providence,  captured  New  Provi 
dence  Island  on  January  27,  1778,  with  six  ves 
sels  that  were  in  the  harbor. 

For  two  months  this  squadron  did  nothing, 
but  early  in  July  they  fell  in  with  a  great  fleet 
of  merchantmen  escorted  by  a  ship-of-the-line 
(seventy-four  guns)  and  a  number  of  frigates. 
Notwithstanding  the  efficiency  of  this  guard, 
the  Yankees  cut  out  eleven  of  the  merchant 
ships  and  carried  them  into  port.  It  is  re 
corded  that  the  cargoes  of  these  ships  were 
worth  over  a  million  dollars  in  gold,  and  that 
this  cruise  was  financially  the  most  profitable 
of  the  war. 

Meantime  there  was  a  fight  between  brigs 
that  shows  at  once  the  wonderful  courage  and 
endurance  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  seaman,  no 
matter  on  which  side  of  the  Atlantic  his  home 
is  found,  and  the  further  fact  that  in  1779  the 
Yankee  sailor  was  becoming  somewhat  skilled 
as  a  man-o'-war'sman.  The  American  brig 
Providence,  Capt.  Hoysted  Hacker,  fell  in  with 
the  English  brig  Diligent,  Capt.  Thomas 
Davyson,  May  7th.  At  the-  end  of  an  hour 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  283 

the  Diligent  struck  her  colors,  but  she  had 
lost  twenty-seven  in  killed  and  wounded  out 
of  her  crew  of  fifty-three  before  she  did  so. 
The  Providence  lost  only  four  killed  and  ten 
wounded. 

The  Diligent  was  at  once  taken  into  the 
American  service,  but  disaster  overtook  the 
squadron  in  which  she  sailed.  The  enemy 


Signature  of  Hoysted   Hacker. 
Front  a  letter  at  the  Lenox  Library. 

had  established  a  fort  on  the  Penobscot  for 
convenience  as  a  base  for  operating  against 
Massachusetts.  Accordingly  1,500  militia  were 
sent  with  a  fleet  of  transports  and  privateers 
to  capture  it.  With  this  fleet  went  the  frigate 
Warren,  Capt.  Dudley  Saltonstall ;  the  brig 
Diligent,  and  the  old  brig  Providence,  that  had 
seen  service  from  the  first. 

The  expedition  reached  the  Penobscot  on 
July  25,  1779,  and  found  not  only  a  fort,  but 
three  warships,  aggregating  forty-nine  guns, 


284  THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY 

ready  for  a  fight.  An  attack  was  made,  but 
the  Americans  were  repulsed.  They  then  be 
gan  the  slower  process  of  reducing  the  works 
by  siege,  but  on  August  I3th  a  British  fleet 
of  one  ship-of-the-line  (sixty-four  guns),  three 
frigates  of  thirty-two  guns  each,  three  sloops- 
of-war  aggregating  forty-eight  guns,  and  a  brig 
of  fourteen  guns,  appeared. 

At  this  the  privateers  scattered,  each  cap 
tain  seeking  safety  as  he  thought  best,  regard 
less  of  the  safety  of  the  others.  The  Ameri 
can  naval  fleet,  with  the  transports,  retreated 
up  the  river,  where  all  were  destroyed  to  pre 
vent  the  enemy  getting  them.  It  was  a  very 
heavy  blow  to  the  American  naval  forces. 

Among  the  English  squadron  was  the  frigate 
Virginia  that  had  grounded  in  the  Chesapeake 
while  trying  to  get  to  sea  for  the  first  time  in 
1778,  when  her  commander,  Captain  Nichol 
son,  abandoned  her  to  the  enemy. 

While  the  British  were  approaching  the 
Penobscot  on  this  expedition,  this  Captain 
Nicholson,  in  the  thirty-two-gun  frigate  Deane 
(sometimes  called  the  Hague),  and  Capt. 
Samuel  Tucker,  in  the  twenty-four-gun  Boston, 
sailed  on  a  cruise.  They  captured  six  prizes, 
including  a  privateer  of  twenty  guns,  another 
of  eighteen,  and  a  merchantman  armed  with 
sixteen  guns.  The  eighteen-gun  privateer 
was  the  Thorn.  After  returning  to  port, 


OF   THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  287 

Captain  Tucker  took  the  Boston  to  Charleston, 
and  when  that  place  surrendered  he  was  made 
prisoner,  but  was  soon  after  exchanged  for  the 
captain  of  the  Thorn,  whom  he  had  captured 
earlier  in  the  year.  Returning  to  Boston,  he 
was  ordered  to  take  command  of  the  captured 
Thorn,  and  in  the  cruise  that  he  then  made  he 
took  seven  vessels.  As  he  had  captured  thirty 
vessels  before  he  entered  the  navy,  it  is  likely 
that  Captain  Tucker  took  more  prizes  during 
the  Revolution  than  any  other  commander. 

When  Charleston  fell,  there  were  lost  with 
the  Boston,  just  mentioned,  the  frigate  Provi 
dence,  of  twenty-eight  guns  ;  the  Queen  of 
France,  of  equal  metal,  and  the  Ranger,  in  which 
John  Paul  Jones  captured  the  Blake.  There 
after,  of  all  the  ships  that  the  Congress  had 
built  or  purchased  and  placed  in  service,  only 
six  remained  in  the  American  navy.  These 
were  the  Alliance,  of  thirty-two  guns,  in  which 
Landais  had  tried  to  betray  John  Paul  Jones  ; 
the  Confederacy  and  the  Deane,  of  equal  metal  ; 
the  Trumbull,  of  twenty-eight  guns  ;  the  Due 
de  Lauzan,  of  twenty  guns,  and  the  Saratoga,  of 
eighteen.  Worse  yet,  at  the  end  of  1779  both 
officers  and  men  were  scarce  because  the 
British,  knowing  that  the  supply  of  American 
seamen  was  limited,  had  refused  to  exchange 
sailor  prisoners  in  order  that  they  might  so 
keep  the  American  forces  reduced.  And  of 


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290  THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

the  seamen  available  for  the  navy  not  a  small 
proportion  preferred  to  sail  in  privateers  be 
cause  of  the  chances  of  great  gains  found  in 
them. 

Because  of  this  condition  of  affairs  it  hap 
pened  that  when  Capt.  James  Nicholson 
sailed  in  the  Tritmbull on  the  last  day  of  May, 
1780,  for  a  cruise  along  the  American  coast 
his  crew  contained  more  landsmen — men  and 


Signature  of  Samuel   Nicholson. 
From  a  letter  at  the  Lenox  Library. 

boys  who  had  never  been  outside  of  any  har 
bor — than  of  seamen.  With  such  a  mob  as 
this  in  place  of  a  crew,  he  fell  in  with  a  big 
British  privateer  on  June  2d. 

Nicholson  had  his  sails  trimmed  like  a  mer 
chantman's,  and  the  privateer  drew  near  to  in 
spect,  but  soon  saw  that  the  Trumbull  was  a 
man-o'-war.  At  that,  although  he  carried 
thirty-four  guns  to  the  Yankee's  twenty-eight, 
he  made  sail  to  escape.  But  Nicholson  was 
after  him  with  a  swifter  ship,  and  fight  he  had 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  291 

to.      A   riorht   stubborn    fitrht    it   was,   too.      It 

o  o 

began  at  a  range  of  100  yards,  and  it  was  soon 
carried  on  with  yardarms  interlocked.  The 
blazing  gun-wads  of  the  enemy  were  several 
times  blown  through  the  open  parts  of  the 
Trumbull,  and  she  was  twice  set  on  fire.  But 
at  the  end  of  three  hours,  and  just  when  the 
enemy's  fire  had  slacked  away  to  the  point  of 
surrendering,  the  Trumbull's  mainmast  went 
by  the  board,  dragging  the  fore  topmast  and 
the  mizzen  after  it,  and  there  she  lay  helpless. 

The  privateer  might  have  riddled  her  then, 
but  he  had  had  enough,  and  was  glad  to  get 
away. 

It  was  learned  afterward  that  the  enemy 
was  the  Watt,  a  privateer  especially  designed 
and  fitted  to  whip  any  American  frigate.  She 
lost  ninety  in  killed  and  wounded.  The 
Trumbull  lost  thirty-nine  in  killed  and 
wounded. 

Perhaps  the  most  curious  fact  about  this 
fight  was  this,  that  a  very  large  proportion  of 
the  Trumbuirs  crew  were  suffering  from  the 
worst  stage  of  seasickness  when  she  opened 
fire.  The  Trumbull  made  port,  but  was  un 
able  to  see  service  again  until  August  of  the 
next  year. 

Meantime  the  Saratoga,  under  Capt. 
James  Young,  sailed  from  Philadelphia  in 
October,  1780,  and  on  the  8th  fell  in  with 


292  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

three  vessels.  By  hoisting  English  colors,  the 
largest,  a  heavily  armed  ship,  was  decoyed 
alongside,  where  she  reported  herself  as  a 
merchantman  called  the  Charming  Molly,  from 
Jamaica.  At  this  the  Saratoga  hoisted  the 
American  flag,  gave  her  a  broadside,  and 
crashing  alongside,  threw  grapnels  over  her 
rail  and  rigging  and  held  her  fast. 

The  first  lieutenant  of  the  Saratoga,  at 
this  time,  was  Joshua  Barney,  whose  exploit  in 
the  Hyder  AH  has  already  been  described. 
At  the  head  of  a  party  of  fifty  boarders 
Barney  climbed  over  the  rail  of  the  merchant 
man,  and  after  a  sharp  fight  cleared  her  deck. 
Then  it  was  learned  that  she  carried  ninety 
men.  She  was  manned  by  a  prize  crew  under 
Barney,  and  sent  in.  The  Saratoga  then  made 
sail  after  the  other  two,  who  had  been  fleeing 
down  the  wind  to  escape.  It  is  not  hard  for 
a  sailorman  to  picture  their  hopeless  race  as 
the  long  Yankee,  with  a  cloud  of  canvas  aloft 
and  the  white  foam  roaring  away  from  her 
bows,  came  a-whooping  after  them.  It  was  a 
hopeless  race  because  they  were  only  brigs, 
the  one  carrying  fourteen  and  the  other  four 
guns.  They  were  taken  without  resistance, 
and  manned  and  sent  toward  port. 

Nevertheless,  that  was  a  most  disastrous 
cruise  for  the  Saratoga.  With  her  prizes  she 
sailed  for  the  Delaware,  but  she  fell  in  with 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  293 

the  Intrepid,  a  ship  of  seventy-four  guns,  on 
duty  there.  Ordering  her  prizes  to  scatter, 
she  made  all  sail,  and  with  success,  for  she  got 
away.  But  she  found  an  enemy  more  power 
ful  even  than  a  ship-of-the-line.  She  found, 
doubtless,  an  October  hurricane,  for  she  was 
never  heard  of  after  she  disappeared  from 
the  view  of  the  Intrepid' s  lookouts.  The 
prizes,  too,  were  all  recaptured. 

So  five  warships  only  were  left  to  carry 
the  American  flag.  Another  was  building  at 
Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire — the  America,  a 
seventy-four-gun  ship-of-the-line.  John  Paul 
Jones  was  assigned  to  her,  but  before  she  was 
launched,  the  French  ship-of-the-line  Magni- 
fiquc  was  wrecked  in  the  Massachusetts  Bay, 
and  the  Congress,  to  show  its  appreciation  of 
what  the  French  had  clone  to  help  the  United 
States,  presented  the  America,  while  still  on 
the  ways,  to  the  French  king. 

That  act  was  crushing  to  John  Paul  Jones  ; 
but  when  all  was  ready  for  the  launching,  he 
hoisted  the  flags  of  both  nations,  and  so  sent 
her  into  the  water.  And  that  was  the  last  ser 
vice  he  rendered  his  adopted  country.  No 
other  ship  fit  for  the  head  man  of  the  navy  re 
mained  afloat,  and  the  Congress  could  not 
build  another  like  the  America.  And  then 
came  the  end  of  the  war,  when  Jones  entered 
the  Russian  service,  subject  to  a  call  at  any 


294  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

time  from  the  American  Congress,  and  with 
out  sacrificing  his  American  citizenship,  and 
there  he  became  a  rear  admiral.  Leaving  that 
service,  he  was  appointed  American  consul  to 
Algiers,  a  most  important  post,  as  will  appear 
further  on  ;  but  before  the  slow  mail  brought 
his  commission  he  died  in  Paris  on  July  18, 
1792. 

To  return  once  more  to  the  frigate  Trum- 
bull,  it  must  be  said  that  if  any  doubt  as  to 
his  courage  or  persistency  was  created  in  the 
minds  of  the  American  people  when  he  aban 
doned  the  grounded  Virginia  without  firing 
a  gun  in  her  defence,  Captain  Nicholson  re 
deemed  himself  in  his  last  battle  in  the  Trum- 
bull,  even  though  he  lost  her. 

The  Trumbull  sailed  in  August,  1^81,  as  an 
escort  for  a  fleet  of  twenty-eight  merchant 
men.  If  her  crew  was  inefficient  when  she 
fought  the  privateer  Watt,  it  was  now  well-nigh 
the  worst  conceivable  for  the  occasion  ;  for 
in  numbers  she  lacked  200  men  of  a  full  com 
plement — she  had  less  than  half  the  number 
needed  to  work  and  fight  the  ship — while  of 
the  hundred  and  odd  men  she  did  carry,  many 
were  landsmen,  and  a  lot  more  were  English 
men,  who,  on  learning  that  she  was  certain 
to  go  to  sea  shorthanded,  shipped  in  her  in 
the  hope  of  finding  opportunity  for  a  mutiny. 
This  was  not  an  unusual  circumstance  during 


THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  295 

the  Revolution,  for  the  British  Parliament  had 
passed  an  act  offering  a  large  bounty  to  her 
"  loyal  subjects"  who,  after  making  oath  to 
support  the  American  Constitution,  should  be 
able  to  carry  an  American  ship  into  a  British 
port. 

When  off  the  capes  of  the  Delaware  this 
worse  than  half-manned  Trumbull,  in  a  gale 
lost  her  fore  topmast  and  main  topgallantmast 
— a  misfortune  unquestionably  due  to  the  mis 
conduct  of  her  English  crew.  She  was  then 
not  only  worse  than  half-manned,  but  she  was 
worse  than  half-found  in  sails. 

While  in  this  condition  (and  it  should  be 
remembered  that  the  Trumbull  carried  but 
twenty-eight  guns)  the  British  frigate  Iris 
(formerly  the  American  frigate  Hancock),  of 
thirty-two  guns,  ranged  up  on  one  side  of  her, 
and  another  British  ship,  name  unknown,  on 
the  other. 

Instead  of  surrendering,  as  he  would  have 
been  justified  in  doing,  Captain  Nicholson 
cleared  the  ship  for  action,  and  the  battle 
began.  And  then  at  the  first  broadside  the 
Englishmen  to  a  man,  by  preconcerted  action, 
fled  to  the  hold  and  succeeded  in  frightening 
the  landsmen  into  following  them,  so  that  but 
fifty  men  were  left  to  fight  the  enemy. 

But  among  those  fifty  were  Richard  Dale 
from  the  deck  of  the  Bonhomme  Richard,  and 


296  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

one  Christopher  Raymond  Perry,  who  will  be 
heard  of  later,  and  the  summons  to  surrender 
was  scorned.  Never  before  had  such  a  fight 
as  this  occurred — a  fight  wherein  fifty  men  in 
a  crippled  ship  of  twenty-eight  guns  struck 


After  a,  miniature  in  the  possession  of  Miss  Josephine  L.  Stevens. 

back  at  a  thirty-two-gun  ship  carrying  seven 
times  as  many  men  and  helped  by  another 
ship  that  was  itself  undoubtedly  more  than 
a  match  for  a  cripple.  And  yet  for  an  hour 
James  Nicholson,  Richard  Dale,  and  Chris 
topher  Raymond  Perry  kept  their  men  at  the 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  297 

ofuns.      Sixteen  men  were  killed  and  wounded 

o 

out  of  the  valiant  fifty.  Even  then  the  flag 
was  still  flying.  There  is  no  telling  how  long 
the  desperate  conflict  would  have  continued  ; 
but  a  third  British  ship,  the  General  Monk, 
came  into  the  fight  and  in  a  position  to  rake 
the  American  at  short  range.  It  was  a  case 
then  of  surrender  or  sink,  and  the  flag  of  the 
Trumbull  was  hauled  down. 

In  March  of  1781  the  Alliance,  under  Capt. 
John  Barry,  was  found  in  a  most  exasper 
ating  position  off  the  British  coast.  She  had 
sailed  from  Boston  in  February,  and  after 
taking  a  privateer  called  the  Alert,  reached 
L'Orient  safely.  There  she  was  joined  by  a 
French  privateer  of  forty  guns,  called  the 
Marqiiis  de  la  Fayette.  Sailing  on  March  3ist, 
they  captured  the  British  privateers  Mars,  of 
twenty-six  guns,  and  the  Minerva,  of  ten,  the 
two  carrying  crews  aggregating  167  men. 
Then  the  Alliance  went  on  alone,  and  on 
May  28th  fell  in  with  two  smaller  vessels  that 
boldly  attacked  her. 

It  had  been  a  quiet  day,  but  as  the  two 
smaller  vessels  approached,  the  Alliance  lost 
the  wind  altogether,  while  the  others,  with  the 
aid  of  big  oars,  came  on,  took  safe  positions  at 
short  range  under  her  quarters,  and  opened 
fire.  Captain  Barry  could  bring  only  three 
nine-pounders  to  bear  on  each  of  the  enemy, 


298  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

while  they  were  delivering  heavy  broadsides 
of  eight  and  seven  guns,  respectively.  Cap 
tain  Barry  was  so  badly  wounded  by  a  grape- 
shot  that  he  was  carried  below ;  but  just  when 
the  surrender  of  the  Alliance  seemed  inevita 
ble  a  breeze  filled  her  sails,  and  swinging 
around,  she  ran  in  between  the  two  enemies, 
and  with  broadsides  from  her  eighteen-pound- 
ers  quickly  brought  down  their  flags.  One 
was  the  sixteen-gun  brig  Atalanta,  and  the 
other  the  fourteen-gun  brig  Trepassy.  They 
lost  ten  killed  and  thirty  wounded  between 
them.  The  Trepassy  was  sent  to  England 
with  prisoners,  and  the  Atalanta  to  the 
United  States,  but  she  was  recaptured  off 
Boston.  The  Alliance  reached  port  safely. 

A  little  later  (June  22,  1781)  the  Confeder 
acy  was  captured  by  the  English.  She  was 
employed  as  a  government  packet  to  keep 
open  communication  with  France,  but  while 
returning  home  laden  with  military  supplies  a 
two-decker  and  a  frigate,  the  Orpheus  and  the 
Roebuck,  overtook  her,  and  her  commander, 
Capt.  Seth  Harding,  had  to  strike  his  colors. 

The  last  naval  action  (the  General  Monk  was 
captured  later  by  a  privateer)  of  the  Revolu 
tionary  war  was  fought  by  the  Alliance,  Capt. 
John  Barry.  He  had  sailed  from  Havana  with 
a  large  quantity  of  specie  for  the  United 
States.  This  was  March  7,  1782.  She  had 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  299 

the  Due  dc  Lauzan  in  company.  When  not 
long  out  of  port  three  British  frigates  were 
encountered.  The  Yankees  started  to  run  for 
it,  and  the  Lauzan,  a  slow  sailer,  was  ordered 
to  throw  her  guns  overboard. 

However,  a  French  ship  of  fifty  guns  hove 
in  sight  on  the  weather  bow,  and  at  that  Cap 
tain  Barry  waited  for  the  leading  English  frig 
ate,  supposing  the  Frenchman  would  join  in,  of 
course.  A  fight  that  brought  glory  to  Barry 
and  credit  to  the  Englishman  followed,  but  at 
the  end  of  fifty  minutes  the  Englishman  had 
out  signals  of  distress.  As  the  Frenchman 
held  aloof,  Captain  Barry  was  compelled  to  let 
the  Englishman  haul  off  under  cover  of  his 
consorts. 

The  English  ship  was  the  Sybille  (some 
times  written  Sibyl),  of  thirty-eight  guns — a 
heavier  ship  than  the  Alliance.  She  lost 
thirty-seven  killed  and  fifty  wounded,  while 
that  of  the  Alliance  was  three  killed  and 
eleven  wounded. 

The  significant  feature  of  this  fight  is  in 
the  wide  margin  between  the  two  lists  of 

e5 

killed  and  wounded.  The  Yankees  had  at  last 
learned  to  handle  cannon  effectively.  But 
now  the  end  of  the  war  had  come. 

Four  months  before  this  last  naval  fight 
of  the  American  Revolution  Lord  North,  the 
British  premier,  on  hearing  of  the  surrender 


300  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

of  Lord  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown,  had  strode 
up  and  down  his  room  with  his  arms  franti 
cally  waving  above  his  head,  while  he  cried  : 

"  Oh,  God  !  it  is  all  over.  It  is  all  over.  It 
is  all  over." 

The  "  most  accursed,  wicked,  barbarous, 
cruel,  unjust,  and  diabolical "  war  known  to 
the  history  of  the  English-speaking  people  was 
over,  and  during  the  latter  end  of  March, 
1782,  "Lord  North  bowed  to  the  storm  and 
resigned." 

On  July  4,  1776,  when  the  Congress  de 
clared  the  independence  of  the  colonies,  the 
American  navy  consisted  of  twenty-five  ves 
sels,  all  sizes  counted,  mounting  422  guns. 
Thereafter  other  ships  were  built,  and  some 
were  purchased  and  some  were  captured  from 
the  enemy  and  put  into  service.  But  because 
the  enemy  at  all  times  had  more  than  five 
guns  afloat  and  in  service  on  the  American 
coast  to  every  one  that  the  Americans  mus 
tered  in  the  naval  list,  the  American  ships, 
one  by  one,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
or  were  destroyed  to  save  them  from  such  a 
fate,  or  were  lost  at  sea.  When  the  war  ended 
but  three  naval  ships,  bearing  eighty-four  guns 
between  them,  remained.  The  American  navy 
had  almost  perished,  but,  like  Arnold's  fleet  on 
Lake  Champlain,  it  had  given  the  English 
man  an  opportunity  to  see  the  face  of  the 


XL 

cK 


302  THE   HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

enemy.  Even  as  in  the  fight  which  the  Bon- 
homme  Richard  waged,  it  won  victory  even 
when  it  was  so  shattered  as  to  all  but  disap 
pear  while  yet  the  smoke  of  battle  hung  over 
the  water.  For  without  the  aid  of  the  sea 
power  the  war  of  the  Revolution  would  have 
failed.  From  that  glorious  day  before  Boston 
when  the  hearts  of  the  Continentals  were  fired 
by  the  long  wagon-train,  loaded  with  war  ma 
terial,  captured  by  an  American  cruiser  from 
the  enemy,  until  the  last  service  of  the  Alli 
ance  in  bringing  specie  from  Havana,  there 
was  never  a  time  when  the  sea  power  did  not 
render  helpful  and  glorious  service  to  the 
struggling  patriots  ashore. 

In  the  800  ships  that  were  captured  from 
the  enemy  were  found  the  materials  that  suc 
cored  the  life  of  the  nation.  Not  one  Ameri 
can  cruiser  was  captured  by  English  privateers, 
while  sixteen  English  cruisers  were  taken  by 
American  privateers,  which  were  manned  in 
many  cases  for  the  most  part  by  boys  and  hay 
makers,  while  in  many  an  American  victory 
the  odds  in  weight  of  metal  and  number  of 

o 

men  were  greatly  in  the  favor  of  the  British. 
•  By  their  daring  and  persistence  the  Yankee 
cruisers  made  Yankee  prowess  known  through 
out  Europe  and  even  to  the  yeomanry  of 
England. 


CHAPTER    XII 

BUILDING  A  NEW   NAVY 

WHEN  ENGLAND,  IN  HER  EFFORTS  TO  WREST  COMMERCE  FROM 
THE  AMERICANS,  INCITED  THE  PIRATES  OF  AFRICA  TO  ACTIVITY, 
SHE  COMPELLED  THE  BUILDING  OF  THE  FLEET  THAT  WAS,  IN 
THE  END,  TO  BRING  HER  HUMILITY  OF  WHICH  SHE  HAD  NEVER 
DREAMED — DEEDS  OF  THE  BARBARY  CORSAIRS — AMERICAN  NAVAL 
POLICY  AS  LAID  DOWN  BY  JOSHUA  HUMPHREYS — THE  WONDER 
FUL  NEW  FRIGATES— TROUBLES  WITH  THE  FRENCH  CRUISERS 
ON  THE  AMERICAN  COASTS — TRICK  OF  A  YANKEE  CAPTAIN  TO 
SAVE  A  SHIP — A  MIDSHIPMAN  WHO  DIED  AT  HIS  POST — CAPTURE 
OF  THE  INSURGENT — A  LONG  WATCH  OVER  THE  FRENCH  PRIS 
ONERS — ESCAPE  OF  A  TWICE-BEATEN  SHIP — THE  VALIANT  SF.NEZ 
— STORY  OF  ISAAC  HULL  AND  THE  LUCKY  ENTERPRISE. 

IT  is  with  feelings  of  distress  and  shame, 
not  unmingled  with  indignation,  that  the 
patriotic  American  of  these  days  reads  such 
parts  of  the  history  of  his  country  as  have  a 
bearing  upon  the  navy  during  the  years  that 
followed  the  Revolutionary  war. 

No  sooner  was  the  war  over  than  all  the 
men  that  remained  in  the  naval  service  were 
paid  off  and  turned  adrift  on  the  beach,  while 
every  ship  that  remained — even  the  Alliance, 
that  had  well  demonstrated  her  efficiency — was 
sold.  The  people  of  the  new  nation  were  so 


304  THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY 

fearful  of  a  monarchial  form  of  government, 
and  of  everything  that  in  the  old  world  per 
tained  to  it,  that  they  went  to  the  remarkable 
length  of  sacrificing  the  one  weapon  that  could 
defend  them  from  old-world  encroachment— 
the  navy — lest  scheming  politicians  use  it  to 
^enslave  their  own  people. 

But  while  the  politicians  wrangled  over  the 
chaotic  conglomeration  that,  at  the  time,  was 
called  the  general  government,  the  business 
men  made  haste  to  retrieve  the  losses  brought 
upon  them  by  the  war,  and  as  there  had  been 
but  two  sources  of  income  worth  mention  be 
fore  the  war — the  commerce  of  the  seas  and 
agriculture — it  was  to  them  that  the  energies 
of  the  people  were  applied.  It  was  an  along 
shore  nation.  The  salt  air  fanned  its  most 
populous  cities.  So  familiar  were  the  people 
with  the  ocean,  that  every  one  spoke  of  the 
time  when  he  should  be  rich  as  "  when  my 
ship  comes  home."  So  to  the  sea  went  hosts 
of  people  seeking  fortune.  The  merchant 
with  his  capital,  the  land-owner  with  his  tim 
ber,  and  the  mechanic  with  his  skill  and  mus 
cle,  united  to  build  and  man  ships  for  the 
ocean-carrying  trade,  and  so  well  did  they 
work  together  that  ships  the  equal  of  any 
other,  in  some  cases  the  superior  of  any  in  the 
world,  were  sent  down  the  ways.  Men  who 
had  learned  to  be  aggressive  while  afloat  with 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  305 

the  flag  in  war-time  were  placed  in  command 
of  these  ships,  and  the  contest  for  supremacy 
in  trade,  which  had  had  so  great  a  part  in  bring 
ing  on  the  Revolutionary  war,  was  renewed 
with  an  energy  and  an  independence  of  ac 
tion  of  which  the  people  as  colonists  had  not 
dreamed.  Even  so  small  a  craft  as  an  Albany 
sloop  was  sailed  away  from  New  York  for 
Canton,  China.  She  had  only  a  page-map 
from  a  school  geography  for  a  chart  of  the 
world,  but  she  made  her  port  and  made  home 
again,  and  she  was  the  first  sail  to  make 
the  direct  passage  from  New  York  to  China 
waters. 

The  British  merchants  with  dismay  saw 
their  own  ships  passed  by  and  the  Yankees 
chosen  by  shippers  of  cargoes — chosen  be 
cause  both  safer  and  swifter.  And  when  the 
British  merchant  complained,  he  found  (as  he 
has  always  found)  his  government  ready  to 
listen  and  to  act  in  his  behalf. 

What  that  government  was  willing  to  do  to 
aid  the  British  merchants  was  so  discreditable 
that  the  story  of  it  well-nigh  staggers  belief, 
although  the  proofs  are,  in  fact,  beyond  doubt. 

On  the  Mediterranean  coast  of  Africa  were 
found     a    number     of     small     Mohammedan 
states    ruled    by   vassals    of    the 
time  out  of  mind  these  petty  rulers 
a   blackmail  tribute  from  every  seafaring 

20 


1  UllcHHlllCUd.il 

Turk.       For  \ 
rs  had  levied   T 
seafaring  na-  / 


306  THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

(  tton  that  traded  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea, 
J  and  even  sailed  in  their  cruisers  out  upon  the 
)  Atlantic  to  capture  ships  that  were  not  in- 
/  tending  to  enter  the  enclosed  waters.  When 
1  one  recalls  how  much  superior  the  power  of 
\  England  was  to  that  of  all  these  pirates  com- 


A  Mediterranean   Corsair  Anchoring. 
From  a  picture  drawn  and  engraved  by  Baugean. 

bined,  it  seems  astounding  that  even  she  should 

have    contributed    to    the    blackmail,   but   the 

reason  for  her  doing  so  may  be  found  in  the 

r  debates  of  Parliament  of  that  day.     Said  Lord 

\  Sheffield  in  1784: 

|  "  It  is  not  probable  that  the  American 
1  States  will  have  a  very  free  trade  in  the 
^Mediterranean.  It  will  not  be  to  the  inter- 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  307 

est  of  any  of  the  great  maritime  powers  to 
protect  them  from  the  Barbary  States.  If 
they  know  their  interests,  they  will  not  en 
courage  the  Americans  to  be  carriers.  That 
the  Barbary  States  are  advantageous  to  mari 
time  powers  is  certain." 

'In  short,  England  deliberately  encouraged 
these  infamous  pirates  because  they  harassed 
the  ships  of  other  nations,  and  on  the  pay 
ment  of  a  small  tribute,  which  was  kept  small 
because  of  her  great  navy,  they  left  hers 
k wholly  unmolested. 

But   the   mere   avowal  of  this  policy  in  the 
hall  of    Parliament  was  by  no  means  all  that 
she    did.      For    some  time    previous    to    1 793 
Portugal  had  maintained  her  rights  upon  the 
sea    as    against    these    pirates    by    keeping    a 
strong  fleet  at  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar — a  fleet 
that  pounced  upon  every  Barbarv  corsair  that 
appeared.      It  was   not   for   the   protection  of 
her  own   commerce  only  that  this   was  done. 
By  an  understanding  with  the  United  States) 
the  American  flag   was   protected  and  Ameri-? 
can     merchantmen     furnished    with     convoys) 
when  needed. 

Under    the    protection     thus     afforded,    the 
American    merchantmen    swarmed     into    the 
profitable  trade  on  the  east  side  of  the  Atlan 
tic.      English  merchants  viewed  the  increasing\ 
numbers   of   American   ships    there    with   dis-j 


308  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

may,  and  English  diplomacy,  as  said,  at  once 
intervened. 

Taking  advantage  of  a  general  agreement 
among  the  so-called  Christian  powers,  under 
which  England  was  to  be  allowed  to  act  for 
all  in  certain  minor  matters  when  negotiat 
ing  with  the  Barbary  powers,  the  British 
government  instructed  the  British  agent  at 
Algiers  to  bargain  secretly  for  a  truce  be 
tween  the  Dey  and  the  government  of  Por 
tugal.  The  truce  was  to  last  a  year,  and 
in  consideration  of  allowing  the  Portuguese 
ships  to  trade  free  of  blackmail,  the  Portu 
guese  blockade  was  to  be  removed  from  the 
Strait  of  Gibraltar,  and  it  was  farther  pro 
vided  that  "  the  Portuguese  Government 

o 

shoiild    not    afford   protection     to    any    nation 
against  Algerian  cruisers" 

The  only  nation  that  had  been  protected 
by  Portuguese  men-of-war  was  the  American. 
This  truce,  which  was  arranged  by  the  British 
consul-general  at  Algiers,  Mr.  Charles  Logie, 
was  deliberately  planned  to  turn  the  pirates 
against  American  ships.  Worse  yet,  it  was 
done  without  even  consulting  Portugal,  and 
in  secret  so  that  the  pirates  could  get  away 
before  the  Americans  could  possibly  be 
warned.  And  once  it  was  made,  British  in 
fluence  at  the  Portuguese  court  prevented  its 
abrogation. 


THE   HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  309 

As  early  as  July  25,  1785,  the  Boston 
schooner  Maria,  Capt.  Isaac  Stevens,  had  been 
captured  by  Algerian  pirates  near  Gibraltar, 
and  on  the  3Oth  of  the  same  month  the  ship 
Daupkin,  Capt.  Richard  O'Brien,  was  also 
taken.  Thus  twenty-one  American  citizens 
were  made  slaves  to  the  Arabs.  Because  of 
the  Portuguese  blockade  of  the  strait  no  other 
American  ship  had  been  captured,  but  the 
moment  British  diplomacy  had  freed  the 
pirates  from  that  restraint,  the  Dey  sent  his 
corsairs  seeking  the  American  flag.  There 
is  no  doubt  in  reasonable  minds  that  a  special 
search  was  made,  at  the  request  of  the  British 
agent,  for  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  In  one  cruise 
of  the  pirate  squadron  eleven  vessels  were  cap 
tured  and  112  American  seamen  were  reduced 
to  slavery. 

Did  the  American  nation  declare  war  at 
once?  It  did  not.  It  could  not.  There  was 
not  a  warship  afloat  bearing  the  American  flag. 

Having  no  ships  of  war,  Congress  was 
forced  to  buy  the  freedom  of  these  enslaved 
Americans.  The  men  captured  in  1785  were 
ransomed  for  $59,496  (coin).  For  the  1 12  cap 
tured  at  the  instigation  of  the  British  agent,  a 
far  greater  ransom  was  paid.  The  Congress 
had  refused  to  build  a  navy  for  the  protection 
of  Americans  when  abroad,  but  now  they  were 
compelled  to  buy  the  release  of  enslaved 


310  THE    HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 

Americans  by  building  the  Crescent,  "one  of 
the  finest  specimens  of  elegant  naval  architec 
ture  which  was  ever  borne  on  the  Piscataqua's 
waters."  They  had  to  arm  and  fit  her  for  sea. 
They  had  to  freight  her  with  "  twenty-six  bar 
rels  of  silver  dollars  and  many  valuable  pres 
ents  for  the  Dey,"  and  then  send  her  to 
Algiers,  where  ship  and  cargo  were  given  in 
exchange  for  the  enslaved  Americans. 

"  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that,  as  appears  by 
documents  published  at  the  time,  the  peace 
obtained  from  the  Dey  of  Algiers  cost  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  near  a  mil 
lion  of  dollars  ($992,463.25),  a  sum  quite  suffi 
cient  to  have  kept  the  barbarian's  port  her 
metically  sealed  until  he  should  have  humbly 
sued "  for  peace,  had  it  been  expended  in 
building  suitable  warships.  And  so  would  have 
been  saved  the  noble  lives  and  the  property 
afterwards  lost  on  the  African  coast. 

But  out  of  the  national  humiliation  sprang 
a  new  navy.  The  people  who  had  called  every 
legislator  that  spoke  for  the  honor  of  the 
flag  a  blatant  demagogue  ;  the  people  who 
had  feared  naval  tyrants,  who  had  feared  taxa 
tion,  and  who  had  argued  that  a  small  navy  was 
worse  than  none — the  peace-at-any-price  men 
had  been  in  a  great  majority.  Now  the  publica 
tion  of  these  facts  opened  the  eyes  of  enough 
to  make  a  majority  the  other  way.  Neverthe- 


THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR   NAVY  311 

less,  so  little  regard  had  the  members  of  Con 
gress  for  the  honor  of  the  nation  that  "the 
resolution  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
that  a  naval  force  adequate  to  the  protection 
of  the  commerce  of  the  United  States  ought 
to  be  provided,  passed  by  a  majority  of  two 
votes  only." 

However,  pass  it  did,  and  was  approved 
on  March  27,  1794. 

At  that  time  the  ablest  shipbuilder  in  the 
United  States  was  Joshua  Humphreys,  a 
Quaker,  who  for  thirty  years  had  been  laying 
down  keels  at  Philadelphia.  Going  to  Gen 
eral  Knox,  the  Secretary  of  War,  he  made 
a  notable  statement.  The  number  of  ships 
which  the  United  States  could  support,  he 
said,  would  always  be  less  than  the  number  in 
any  of  the  large  European  navies.  It  was 
therefore  necessary  that  such  ships  as  we  did 
have  should  be  fast-sailing  enough  to  either 
fight  or  run  at  will,  and  when  they  chose  to 
fight  they  must  be  equal,  ship  for  ship,  to  any 
thing  afloat.  To  accomplish  this  they  must  be 
longer  and  broader  than  the  existing  type  and 
yet  not  so  high  out  of  water.  On  this  model 
they  would  carry,  he  said,  as  many  guns  on 
one  deck  as  the  others  carried  on  two  ;  could 
fight  them  there  to  better  advantage ;  and, 
what  was  more,  the  improved  model  would 
give  much  more  stability — would  allow  so  much 


312  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

more  canvas  to  be  spread  aloft  that,  blow  high 
or  blow  low,  the  Yankee  could  show  her  teeth 
or  her  heels,  as  occasion  demanded. 

Not  only  were  Humphreys'  theories  accepted 
then  ;  they  have  prevailed  in  the  American 
navy  to  this  day.  However,  this  is  not  to  say 
that  the  theories  of  Mr.  Humphreys  have  al 
ways  been  realized  in  practice. 

Six  frigates  were  ordered  laid  down  on  this 
model  :  the  Constitution,  of  forty-four  guns ; 
the  President,  of  forty-four;  the  United  States, 
of  forty-four — all  sister  ships — and  the  Chesa 
peake,  the  Congress,  and  the  Constellation,  all 
of  thirty-six  guns  each. 

The  United  States  was  built  by  Humphreys, 
at  Philadelphia,  and  he  sent  her  afloat  on  July 
10,  1797.  The  Constitution,  the  famous  "Old 
Ironsides,"  was  built  by  Cloghorne  &  Hartly, 
of  Boston,  and  she  floated  on  October  21, 
1797 — just  100  years  ago,  And  she  is  still 
afloat  to  bear  the  flag.  Capt.  Samuel  Nich 
olson  had  charge  of  her  (Congress  had  pro 
vided  for  officers  and  men),  and  on  the  day  she 
was  to  be  launched  he  proposed  to  hoist  the 
flag  with  his  own  hands.  But  instead  of  doing 
so  at  once  on  reaching  the  yard  that  morning, 
he  gave  orders  that  no  one  else  should  do  it, 
and  then  went  away  to  breakfast.  That  was 
an  error  fatal  to  his  ambition.  When  he  was 
out  of  sight  one  Samuel  Bentley,  a  ship- 


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3H  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

wright,  bent  the  flag  to  the  halliards,  and,  with 
the  help  of  another  man,  hoisted  her  to  the 
mizzen-truck.  Captain  Nicholson  swore  like 
a  pirate,  it  is  said,  but  the  flag  was  up  and 
he  would  not  haul  it  down  again. 

Later  a  dozen  smaller  ships  were  ordered 
built  or  purchased,  besides  galleys,  schooners, 
and  brigs.  And  then  came  a  time  when  it  was 
absolutely  necessary  to  use  them.  The  Revo 
lution  was  on  in  France,  and  the  European 
powers,  with  England  in  the  lead,  were  try 
ing  to  crush  the  new  republic.  In  fighting 
back,  the  French  cruisers  had  played  havoc 
with  American  ships  carrying  legitimate  goods 
to  European  ports — had  captured  and  con 
demned  many  American  merchantmen  laden 
with  American  products  not  contraband  of 
war,  simply  because  those  ships  were  en  route 
to  ports  of  nations  at  war  with  France.  So 
retaliation  became  absolutely  necessary,  disa 
greeable  as  it  might  be  to  fight  a  former  ally. 

It  should  be  noted  here  that  the  United 
States  government  did  not  actually  declare 
war  against  France,  but  on  July  7,  1798,  all 
treaties  in  existence  between  the  governments 
were  declared  abrogated,  and  meantime,  on 
May  28,  1798,  the  American  cruisers  were 
authorized  "to  capture  any  French  vessel 
found  near  the  coast  preying  upon  American 
commerce."  It  was  under  the  act  of  May  28, 


THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR   NAVY  315 

1798,  as  strengthened  by  that  of  July  7th  of 
the  same  year,  that  the  American  ships  went 
hunting  the  Frenchmen.  But  while  there  was 
an  actual  state  of  war  on  the  ocean,  there  was 
never  a  time  when  the  American  State  De 
partment  was  not  striving  to  negotiate  a  per 
manent  peace  with  the  discordant  elements 
that,  in  those  days  of  the  French  Revolution, 
ruled  at  Paris. 

When  hostilities  began  the  American  navy 
had  in  all  twenty-two  ships,  mounting  456 
guns  and  carrying  3,484  men,  ready  for  battle  ; 
they  were  made  ready  before  the  end  of  the 
year. 

As  originally  organized  in  the  war  for  free 
dom,  the  American  navy  had  held  but  a  few 
puny  merchantmen — thin-walled,  crank,  and 
slow.  But  now,  though  still  comparatively  few 
in  number,  the  ships  of  the  nation  were  "  fore 
and  fit,"  and,  better  yet,  they  were  manned  by 
men  who  had  smelled  the  sulphurous  breath 
of  an  enemy's  guns.  Officers  and  men  from 
the  old  cruisers  and  privateers  came  forward 
to  volunteer  in  such  numbers  that  a  ship's  com 
plement  was  filled  in  some  cases  in  half  a  day. 
Meantime  some  new  blood,  the  sons  of  the 
officers  and  seamen  of  the  other  war,  and 
others,  too,  came,  eager  to  take  the  chances  of 
war,  and  some  were  accepted. 

E.ven    before    the    treaties  were    abrogated 


316  THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY 

two  ships  were  sent  to  sea — the  Constellation, 
under  Capt.  Thomas  Truxton,  who  had  made 
fame  as  a  privateer,  and  the  Delaware,  under 
Stephen  Decatur,  Sr.,  father  of  the  Decatur 
who  made  fame  later  on.  The  French  ship 
Croyable,  of  fourteen  guns,  was  found  off  the 
Delaware.  She  had  taken  several  American 
ships,  so  she  was  sent  into  Philadelphia,  and 
not  loner  afterward  came  out  a^ain  under  the 

o  o 

American  flag,  and  bearing  the  appropriate 
name  Retaliation.  She  was  commanded  by 
William  Bainbridge,  an  able  officer.  But  luck 
was  not  with  her. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  November  20, 
i  798,  while  cruising  with  the  Montezttma  and 
the  Norfolk,  two  small  fleets  were  seen.  The 
Retaliation  went  looking  at  one  fleet  and  the 

o 

other  two  at  the  other.  When  too  near  for 
comfort  the  Retaliation  found  she  had  two 
French  frigates  before  her,  and  one,  the  In 
surgent,  of  thirty-six  guns,  quickly  overhauled 
her  when  she  strove  to  fly. 

Captain  Bainbridge,  after  surrendering,  was 
taken  on  board  the  second  Frenchman,  the 
Volontaire.  Her  captain  refused  to  accept  his 
sword,  and  after  the  proper  civilities  of  the 
occasion  he  was  allowed  to  go  to  the  topgallant 
forecastle  with  the  other  officers  to  watch  the 
Insurgent  chasing  the  Montezuma  and  Nor 
folk.  It  was  a  mighty  cheering  spectacle  to 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  317 

the  French,  for  the  Insurgent,  with  her  great 
spread  of  canvas  bellying  to  the  wind,  was 
overhauling  the  Yankees  hand  over  fist.  But 
just  when  the  Insurgent  was  expected  to  open 
fire  Captain  St.  Laurent  of  the  Volontaire 
turned  to  Bainbridge  and  said  : 

"  Pray,  sir,  what  is  the  force  of  those  vessels  ?  " 

"  The  ship  carries  twenty-eight  twelve-pound 
ers  and  the  brig  twenty  nine-pounders,"  replied 
Bainbridge  in  a  matter-of-fact  way. 

That  was  double  their  real  weight  of  metal, 
and  it  was  a  weight  that  outmatched  the  Insur 
gent.  Greatly  alarmed,  Captain  St.  Laurent, 
who  was  the  senior  French  officer,  ordered  the 
Insurgent  recalled. 

When  she  got  back  within  hail  her  captain 
shouted : 

"  Sir,  if  it  had  not  been  for  your  signal  I 
should  have  had  those  vessels  in  ten  minutes 
more." 

"  Citizen  Captain,  you  do  not  know,  sir,  what 
vessels  you  were  chasing.  Your  ship  is  not 
able  to  contend  with  a  force  of  twenty-eight 
twelve-pounders  and  twenty  nine-pounders," 
said  Captain  St.  Laurent. 

At  that  the  Insurgent's  captain  chopped  the 
air  violently  with  his  hands  and  replied  : 

"Sir,  they  have  nothing  heavier  than  sixes, 
and  do  you  suppose  that  this  ship  could  have 
anything  to  fear  from  such  guns  ?" 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR   NAVY  319 

"  Did  you  not  say,  sir,"  demanded  St.  Lau 
rent,  turning  on  Bainbridge,  "  that  the  ship 
carried  twenty-eight  twelve-pounders  and  the 
brig  twenty  nine-pounders  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Bainbridge,  cheerfully, 
"  and  if  I  had  thought  at  that  moment  that  I 
could  have  saved  the  ships,  by  telling  you  that 
they  carried  twenty-four-pounders,  I  would  have 
done  so." 

Three  months  later  the  fighting  captain  of 
the  Insurgent  (his  name  was  Barreaut)  had  an 
opportunity  to  show  his  metal,  and  it  is  fair  to 
say  that  he  took  advantage  of  it  nobly. 

At  noon  on  February  9,  1 799,  while  the 
Constellation,  Captain  Truxton,  was  cruising 
between  Nevis  and  St.  Kitts  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  Caribbean  Sea,  the  lookout  dis 
covered  a  sail  to  leeward.  There  was  a  fresh 
breeze  from  the  northeast,  and  squaring  away 
before  it,  the  Constellation  spread  studding- 
sails,  and  with  the  white  foam  roaring  away 
from  the  bow  and  a  swirling  wake  dragging 
astern,  she  went  swooping  down  to  reconnoitre. 
But  no  sooner  had  sail  been  spread  than  a 
black  squall  came  down  with  the  wind,  and  all 
hands  had  to  turn  to,  as  if  for  life,  to  shorten 
sail. 

There  were  lively  lads  aloft  on  the  Yankee 
ships  of  those  days,  for  the  crews,  down  to  the 
powder  monkeys,  were  inspired  by  a  sense  of 


320  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

honor.  They  stripped  the  Constellation  in 
time  to  save  her  spars,  but  the  other  ship  lost 
her  main-topmast,  and  when  the  squall  had 
passed,  it  was  seen  that  she  had  changed  her 
course,  hoping  to  reach  port  at  St.  Eustatius. 

But  the  Constellation  was  soon  upon  her. 
She  hoisted  American  colors,  but  could  not 
answer  a  private  signal,  and  a  little  later  sent 
up  the  French  flag  and  fired  a  gun  in  defiance. 

Later  still  (it  was  at  3. 1 5  o'clock),  when  the 
Constellation,  with  her  canvas  above  the  top 
sails  furled,  came  bowling  down,  the  enemy 
hailed,  but  no  reply  was  made.  Captain  Trux- 
ton  was  not  yet  ready,  but  when  he  had  arrived 
within  ten  yards  just  off  the  enemy's  weather 
quarter  and  the  hail  was  repeated,  Captain 
Truxton  answered  with  a  full  broadside. 

The  fire  was  instantly  returned,  and  then  the 
enemy  shoved  his  helm  hard  clown,  intending  to 
luff  up  yardarm  to  yardarm  and  board  the  Con 
stellation.  In  that  move  lay  his  only  hope  for 
victory,  for  he  carried  a  hundred  men  more 
than  the  Constellation.  But  Captain  Truxton 
was  not  to  be  caught.  The  Constellation  being 
unhurt  aloft,  was  able  not  only  to  steer  clear  of 
the  crippled  Frenchman,  but  to  pass  across  his 
bows  and  rake  him. 

Then  the  Constellation  dropped  down  on  the 
starboard  side  and  gave  the  Frenchman  other 
broadsides,  and  following  up  the  advantage  of 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  321 

superior  sailing  power,  she  once  more  crossed 
his  bows  and  raked  again.  Again  she  passed 
alongside,  firing  as  she  went,  and  this  was  so 
effective  that  every  eighteen-pouncler  in  the 
main-deck  battery  of  the  Frenchman  was 
dismounted,  leaving  him  nothing  but  twelve- 
pounders  for  continuing  the  fight.  Neverthe 
less,  the  Frenchman  held  fast  his  colors  until 


Constellation 


4.25  4.30 


Insurgent 


DIAGUAM  OF  THE 

INSURGENT-  CONSTELLATION 
BATTLE. 

Constellation          -          Insurgent 


the  Constellation  once  more  drew  ahead  in  a 
position  to  rake.  The  fight  was  then  absolutely 
hopeless  and  the  Frenchman  struck. 

It  was  then  learned  that  she  was  the  Insur 
gent,  Captain  Barreaut. 

The  Constellation  carried  forty-eight  guns, 
throwing  848  pounds  of  metal  at  one  discharge, 
while  the  Insurgent  carried  forty  guns,  throwing 
791  pounds  of  metal.  The  Constellation  s  crew 

21 


322  THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR   NAVY 

numbered  309,  and  the  Insurgents  just  100 
more.  The  battle  lasted  one  hour  and  fourteen 
minutes.  The  French  lost  twenty-nine  killed 
and  forty-one  wounded,  the  Constellation  two 
killed  and  three  wounded. 

One  gets   a  remarkable   picture  of   the   dis 
cipline  on  board  the  Constellation  when  reading, 


A  French  Vessel  of    120  Guns. 
From  an  engraving  by  Orio. 


in  the  report  of  the  battle,  that  one  of  the  two 
men  killed  was  shot  dead  by  Lieut.  Andrew 
Sterrett  for  deserting  his  post  at  the  first  fire. 

More  interesting  still  is  the  story  of  the  In 
surgent  during  the  three  days  after  the  battle. 
Lieut.  John  Rodgers  and  Midshipman  David 
Porter,  with  eleven  men,  were  sent  .on  board  to 


THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY  323 

take  charge,  and  supervise  the  transfer  of  pris 
oners.  While  yet  i  73  of  the  French  crew  re 
mained  in  her  the  two  ships  were  separated  by 
a  West  India  hurricane.  These  thirteen  Amer 
icans  were  left  to  face  the  gale  and  i  73  of  the 
enemy.  Worse  yet,  all  the  hatch  gratings,  hand 
cuffs,  and  shackles  had  been  thrown  overboard 
after  striking  colors.  But  Rodgers  and  Porter 
were  the  men  for  the  occasion.  They  drove 
the  prisoners  below  the  hatches  and  placed 
one  resolute,  well-armed  man  at  each  hatchway 
with  orders  to  kill  any  one  who  strove  to  get 
out.  \Vith  the  others  they  worked  the  ship 
for  three  days  and  two  nights.  They  did  not 
sleep  or  rest  during  that  time,  but  they  brought 
the  ship  into  St.  Kitts,  where  the  Constellation, 
with  an  anxious  crew,  awaited  them. 

Still  more  to  the  honor  of  the  flag-  was  the 

o 

fight  between  the  Constellation  and  the  Ven 
geance  on  Sunday  night,  February  2,  1800,  for 
the  Frenchman  was  in  every  way  superior,  and 
Captain  Truxton  compelled  him  to  fight. 

It  was  after  a  long  chase  that  the  Constella 
tion  drew  up  on  the  weather  quarter  of  the 
enemy  at  a  distance  of  fifty  or  sixty  yards. 
The  ship  had  already  been  cleared  for  action, 
and  now  the  battle  lanterns  were  lighted,  the 
crew  were  ordered  to  preserve  perfect  silence, 
and  Captain  Truxton  stepped  to  the  lee  rail  and 
hailed.  For  a  reply  the  enemy  opened  fire 


324  THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 

with  such  guns  as  he  could  bring  to  bear,  and 
some  of  the  shot  struck  home.  But  Truxton 
was  not  yet  in  a  position  to  suit  him,  and  the 
Constellation  forged  ahead,  with  her  crew  stand 
ing  in  perfect  silence  at  their  stations,  peering 
out  at  the  red  flash  of  the  enemy's  guns  in  the 
night,  and  shrinking  back  as  the  shot  came 
in  and  here  and  there  knocked  a  man  dead 
or  struggling  across  the  deck.  The  wounded 
were  instantly  borne  below,  while  the  quarter 
masters  sanded  the  blood,  but  no  man  spoke  a 
word. 

As  the  time  passed,  the  strain  upon  them 
became  greater.  The  Captain  noticed  that  the 
men  were  flinching  more  and  more,  and  sternly 
ordered  them  to  stand  to  their  posts  until  they 
got  the  word,  and  then  to  aim  at  the  hull  and 
fire  deliberately,  but  to  load  swiftly.  And  the 
men  obeyed  that  order. 

Reaching  the  vantage  point  where  every  gun 
would  bear,  the  order  to  fire  was  given,  and 
echoing  from  the  crash  of  the  balls  in  the 
enemy's  hull  came  such  shrieks  and  cries  as 
told  of  the  havoc  wrought  there. 

Thereafter  until  12.30  o'clock  that  night  the 
crew  of  the  Constellation  loaded  as  quickly  as 
possible  and  fired  as  deliberately  as  if  but  prac 
tising  with  the  battery  at  a  target.  So  swift 
was  their  work  that  the  guns  got  heated,  and 
men  crawled  out  the  ports  and  dipped  up  water 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  325 

with  buckets  to  cool  them  off.  But  at  mid 
night  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  that  had  been 
slacking  away,  died  out  entirely.  The  victory 
seemed  won — it  was,  in  fact,  won  over  and 
again,  for  the  French  flag  had  been  lowered 
twice  during  the  fight  (some  historians  say 
three  times),  but  the  Constellation  people  did 
not  see  it  because  of  the  smoke,  and,  under 
the  circumstances,  the  Frenchmen  felt  compelled 


Medal  Awarded  to  Thomas  Truxton. 


to  fight  on.  But  when  they  could  fight  no 
more  and  victory  was  assured  for  the  Ameri 
can  flag,  the  captain  of  the  Constellation  found 
that  her  main  standing  rigging  had  been  wholly 
shot  away.  He  called  all  hands  to  send  up 
preventers,  but  before  the  work  could  be  done 
the  mast  fell,  carrying  Midshipman  James  Jarvis 
and  several  men  overboard,  all  but  one  of  whom 
were  lost.  Jarvis  might  have  escaped  before 
the  mast  went,  but  chose  to  remain  at  his  post 
and  face  death. 


DEAR  SIH:—  I  have 
IHvour  of  the  10th  ..I'  July      Tin 

not  only'  from  a  ^..vm,,!  .v/m-a 

iiiti  of  tin-  fir-!  t.f  M 
ftv«'  b'l-n  infill1.  irr,il 


LETTER  FEOM  EI-PRES1DES!  ADAMS 10  COMMODORE  TBDim       . 

.   Qrixnv  MASS..  November  30th,  1802. 


1  n-srwU  tlmt  Che 
[iiv-ciitiuu:  it  lu  an 
i>!'iji-»«ni>lijiir  iiH-til  t 

The  omiDM-i  «hir 
.inil  Colbert  to  Kra 


With  iteocre  erf«H-ra  ',n,l  ttflbrtiftn.  I  l,..v«. 


'Statrs  ft, 

THOMA&  TRUXTUtf  JSSQVJRE.  and  a  copy  ofiht  Htsoln 
f/rrw.    The  low  circle  is  (he    Obventt  aide  of  the  Medal. 


fy-lAf  XmiU  fuuf  hotut  t>C  ftepruHMaM-t*.  oftiu   fnUal  flat*  nfAnvn™  ,n    r..,,?™  .„„ •„, ./,-./. 
77uxS  tfu  rtvfidfril  4-      -  . ._         .  •  ,  '        •'.  ;  Metial, 

<*MAkr/j/tScat?J  t'f  the   lair  nffi"n  /*(V>»7,   the    1 'nijstl  .-tfrrftt  Ftignk*   CvnxttfltiOcti  tit*  thirty  ti<jhf  f*.v«.».  <vttf     J 

Contjrrjr-f  ffhrj  (ftiSivfry  t&tf?  M  -•  '  mgugfrnent.  wkavt'ii  tut    t^in^k  H-tt*  tJf^ihi- 

tni  fy  t&t    faptain    fun-tn,  failon  and  .V.Trint.r  .<i.>ncn.-i,/,/r    fa  ttu  Air.rrirnn  namr   ainl  inttruetit'r 
to  iu  neina  S< , 

•'ir-ber  J{f,-.,-t'i:.,',  //,,,/  ll:,    ,:  luiuet  af  Jam<*  Jut-fit  tt  Mi,lfhipin<m  in  said 


praift.  ,,nd   that  th 


vftfu     Uiiiltti   .SV,!/,.r   ,.:nt/  frffiva  •    ,-ftht 


328  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

Having  lost  her  mainmast,  the  Constellation 
was  so  badly  crippled  that  the  enemy  slipped 
away  in  the  night  to  Curacao.  She  was  the 
Vengeance,  Capt.  A.  M.  Pitot.  She  carried 
fifty-two  guns,  throwing  1,115  pounds  of  shot, 
while  the  Constellation  at  this  time  carried  fifty 
guns,  throwing  826  pounds  of  shot.  The  crew 
of  the  Vengeance  numbered  330  to  310  on  the 
Constellation.  She  lost  fifty  killed  and  1 10 
wounded,  while  the  Constellation  lost  fourteen 
killed  and  twenty-five  wounded.  Her  ability 
to  escape  was  hard  luck  for  the  Yankees,  for 
she  was  carrying  a  very  valuable  cargo,  includ 
ing  a  lot  of  specie. 

If  there  is  any  one  feature  of  this  battle  bet 
ter  worth  remembering  than  any  other  it  is  the 
escape  of  the  Vengeance  after  she  was  twice 
whipped — her  escape  through  continuing  the 
fight.  For  it  proves,  as  John  Paul  Jones 
proved  in  the  Bonhomme  Richard,  that  a  ship 
is  never  hopelessly  defeated  until  she  is  sunk 
or  wholly  disabled. 

Another  interesting  battle  was  that  between 
the  Boston,  Capt.  John  Little,  and  the  Ber- 
ceau,  Capt.  Andre  Senez,  who  was,  during 
the  American  Revolution,  a  midshipman  under 
Count  D'Estaing  in  the  operations  that  enabled 
Washington  to  complete  the  capture  of  Corn- 
wallis.  The  Boston  was  a  larger  ship,  with 
more  men  and  more  and  heavier  guns  than  the 


THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY  329 

enemy,  but  when  she  ranged  up  within  ten 
yards  of  the  Berceau  and  Captain  Little  de 
manded  that  she  surrender,  the  valiant  Senez 
replied  u  Never  !  "  This  was  at  about  4  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  of  October  12,  1800.  The 
Boston  opened  fire,  and  with  cries  of  "  Vive  la 
Republique  ! "  the  Frenchmen  replied,  and  so 
effective  was  their  fire  and  so  determined  was 
their  commander  that  the  battle  raged  for 
twenty-twro  hours,  save  for  the  intermissions 
during  which  the  Boston  had  to  haul  off  and 
repair  rigging.  But  at  2  P.M.  of  the  i3th  the 
Berceau  was  practically  shot  to  pieces  and  she 
had  to  surrender. 

The  dash  of  Lieut.  Isaac  Hull,  when  he  cut 
the  valuable  privateer  Sandwich  out  of  Puerto 
Plato,  was  characteristic  of  the  man  who  dis 
tinguished  himself  in  later  years.  The  priva 
teer  was  lying  in  position  to  rake  anything 
entering  port,  and  she  was  protected  by  a  good 
shore  battery.  But  filling  the  Yankee  sloop 
Sally  with  seamen  and  marines  from  the  Con 
stitution  (Hull  was  then  her  first  lieutenant), 
he  entered  the  harbor  at  night,  sent  the  marines 
ashore,  where  they  spiked  the  fort  guns,  while 
he  with  his  sailors  boarded  and  carried  the 
privateer  and  sailed  her  out  of  port  and  sent 
her  home.  But  though  a  brave,  it  proved  to 
have  been  an  illegal  capture,  and  full  restitu 
tion  was  made  to  the  owners. 


330  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

The  adventures  of  the  twelve-gun  schooner 
Enterprise,  Lieutenant  Shaw — notably  that 
when  she  fought  the  letter  of  marque  Seine 
that  would  not  surrender  until  twenty-four  had 
been  killed  and  disabled  out  of  a  crew  of  fifty- 
four — were  of  the  most  stirring  character.  In 
six  months  she  captured  eight  Frenchmen  and 
recaptured  four  American  ships  the  French 
had  taken.  The  Experiment,  Lieut.  William 
Maley,  was  handled  in  like  fashion.  Both  ves 
sels  often  met  and  whipped  superior  forces,  but 
space  is  lacking  to  give  the  story  of  their  deeds. 

This  high-seas  war  with  France  began  on 
May  28,  1/98.  It  came  to  an  end  when,  on 
February  3,  1801,  a  treaty  of  peace  was  ratified 
by  the  American  Senate.  Nearly  three  years 
had  passed  away.  By  it  peace  was  assured  for 
the  future,  and  as  for  the  past,  all  government 
vessels  captured  on  either  side  were  to  be 
restored.  By  this  provision  the  Americans 
returned  the  Berceau,  the  Vengeance,  and .  a 
smaller  cruiser.  The  Insurgent  was  lost  at  sea. 
Seventy-six  French  ships,  in  addition,  such  as 
privateers  and  armed  merchantmen,  carrying 
together  500  guns,  had  been  captured,  and 
these  were  retained.  No  American  warship 
was  captured  by  the  French  except  the  Retali 
ation,  which  was  originally  taken  from  them. 

The  patriotic  American  does  not  care  to 
dwell  on  this  trouble  with  a  people  that  had 


332 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


rendered  such  great  aid  when  the  nation  was 
struggling  for  life  against  the  oppressor.  The 
significant  features  of  such  conflicts  as  took 
place  were  found  in  the  efficiency  and  good 
discipline  of  the  crews  of  the  American  ships 
and  the  development  of  an  esprit  de  corps 
unknown  during  the  Revolution.  The  pride 
and  dignity  of  the  new  nation  were  stirring  the 
blood  of  its  naval  seamen. 


A   French   Cutter  of   16  Guns. 
From  an  engraving  by  Merlo. 


CHAPTER   XIII 

WAR    WITH    BAKBARY    PIRATES 

A    SQUADRON  UNDER    RICHARD    DALE    SENT    TO  THE    MEDITERRANEAN 
— THE     DEY    OF    ALGIERS    BECAME    FRIENDLY,     BUT    THE    BASHAW 

OF      TRIPOLI    SHOWED      FIGHT FIERCE      BATTLE     BETWEEN      THE 

SCHOONER  ENTERPRISE  AND  THE  TREACHEROUS  CREW  OF  THE 
POLACRE  TRIPOLI —  SLAUGHTER  OF  THE  PIRATES  —  TRIPOLI 
BLOCKADED — GROUNDING  AND  LOSS  OF  THE  PHILADELPHIA. 

THE  story  of  the  first  conflict  with  the  pirates 
of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  follows  that  of  the 
small  war  with  France.  It  was  a  conflict  made 
necessary,  as  already  explained,  because,  in  the 
supposed  interests  of  her  trade,  a  civilized 
nation  sicked  on  the  Barbary  whelps  to  tear 
the  peaceful  passer-by.  Not  only  did  the  Brit 
ish  agent  negotiate  a  treaty  by  which  the  pirates 
would  be  turned  loose  into  the  Atlantic,  espe 
cially  to  prey  on  American  commerce  ;  a  British 
subject  named  Lisle  was  admiral  of  the  Tripoli- 
tan  fleet  when  the  Bashaw  of  Tripoli,  seeing 
the  success  of  the  Dey  of  Algiers  in  levying 
blackmail  on  the  United  States,  declared  war 
against  us. 

On  May  20,  1801,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 


334  THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR   NAVY 


Benjamin   Stoddert. 
From  a  painting  at  the  Navy  Department,  Washington. 

(Congress  had  established  a  Navy  Department 
on  April  30,  1798,  with  Benjamin  Stoddert  as 
Secretary)  ordered  a  "  squadron  of  observa 
tion  "  to  the  Mediterranean.  Capt.  Richard  Dale 
was  placed  in  command,  and  it  consisted  of  the 


THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  335 

President,  Capt.  James  Barron  ;  the  Philadel 
phia,  Capt.  Samuel  Barron  ;  the  Essex,  Capt. 
William  Bainbridge  ;  and  the  twelve -gun 
schooner  Enterprise,  that  had  done  such  effec 
tive  work  against  the  French  in  the  West  In 
dies.  She  was  now  under  Lieut.  Andrew 
Sterrett,  the  officer  who  shot  a  sailor  on  the 
Constellation  for  leaving  a  gun  in  time  of  bat 
tle.  Under  Sterrett  was  David  Porter,  who 
had  shown  his  metal  on  the  captured  Insitrgent 
and  elsewhere. 

When  this  fleet  appeared  off  Algiers  the 
Dey  found  his  wrath,  which  presents  had  not 
appeased,  suddenly  changed  to  effusive  friend 
ship  for  the  Americans,  but  the  Bashaw  of 
Tripoli  was  not  so  easily  awed.  However,  it 
was  not  until  August  ist  that  a  fight  occurred. 
On  that  clay,  while  cruising  off  Malta,  the  En 
terprise  fell  in  with  the  war  polacre  Tripoli, 
carrying  fourteen  guns  and  eighty  men.  By 
no  means  a  cheap  enemy  at  any  time,  she  even 
tually  proved  a  most  treacherous  one.  After 
the  battle  had  raged  for  two  hours  at  point- 
blank  range,  the  Tripoli's  flag  was  lowered. 
Lieutenant  Porter  put  off  in  a  boat  to  take 
possession,  while  the  crew  of  the  Enterprise  in 
great  part  turned  to  repairing  damages  to  their 
rigging.  Thereat  the  corsairs  opened  a  mur 
derous  fire  and  hoisted  the  red  flag  again.  The 
men  of  the  Enterprise  quickly  returned  to  their 


336  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

guns,  and  after  a  fierce  conflict  the  corsairs, 
seeing"  that  in  fair  fight  they  were  worsted, 
once  more  hauled  down  their  flag  in  order  to 
catch  the  Yankees  somewhat  off  guard.  The 
ruse  succeeded  again,  and  Porter  was  on  his 
way  to  take  possession,  when  the  corsairs  re 
newed  battle  more  vigorously  than  ever. 

"  Sink  the  damned,  treacherous  creatures  to 
the  bottom  !"  said  Sterrett.  Exasperated  by  the 
treachery  they  had  seen,  the  crew  started  in  to 
obey  the  order  with  a  will,  and  the  corsair  cap 
tain  saw  his  fate  before  him.  Not  only  did  he 
then  haul  down  his  flag,  but  he  brought  it  to 
the  gangway,  and  throwing  it  into  the  sea,  he 
bowed  his  head  to  the  deck  and  begged  for 
quarter.  Out  of  eighty  men  the  corsair  had 
lost  twenty  killed  and  twenty-eight  wounded. 
The  Enterprise  did  not  lose  a  man.  Congress 
gave  Sterrett  a  sword  and  every  other  member 
of  the  crew  a  month's  pay  because  of  "  the 
aforesaid  heroic  action."  When  the  com 
mander  of  the  corsair  reached  Tripoli  he  was 
paraded  through  the  streets  on  a  donkey  and 
bastinadoed  for  surrendering. 

Following — though,  of  course,  not  because  of 
—this  action  a  good  many  changes  were  made 
in  the  American  squadron — changes  such  as 
increasing  its  force  and  putting  in  new  com 
manders  two  or  three  times  ;  but  eventually  it 
appeared  that,  although  here  was  a  good  squad- 


UNIVERSITY 

or 


340 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


ron  ior  open-sea  fighting,  the  Americans  were 
not  armed  for  battering  down  a  city  so  well 
fortified  as  Tripoli,  and  the  Bashaw  refused  to 
make  a  treaty.  A  weary  blockade  of  the  port 
followed.  There^  were  conflicts  of  small  mo 
ment  with  gunboats  that  tried  to  steal  away  to 
sea,  and  even  the  land  forces  were  bombarded 
at  times.  A  party  under  Porter  once  landed 
and  fired  some  gunboats  that  had  been  hauled 


out  on  the  beach,  and  on  this  occasion  the 
Arabs  fought  by  throwing  handfuls  of  sand. in 
the  faces  of  the  Americans,  hoping  to  blind 
them. 

Finally,  the  3ist  of  October,  1803,  came  on, 
and  it  was  a  memorable  day  in  the  history  of 
the  American  navy.  The  frigate  Philadelphia, 
Capt.  William  Bainbridge,  that  had  been  main 
taining  the  blockade  off  Tripoli,  had  been  blown 
away  from  her  station  by  a  furious  gale,  and, 
while  returning  during  the  morning  of  the 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


341 


William  Bainbridge. 
From  an  engraving  by  Edwin. 

3ist,  saw  a  corsair  stealing  into  port.  The 
Yankee  brig  Vixen,  that  had  helped  hold  the 
station,  was  nowhere  in  sight,  and  the  Phila 
delphia  made  sail  in  chase.  There  was  a  fine 
breeze  blowing,  and  the  Philadelphia  gained 
rapidly,  but  the  corsair  hugged  the  coast,  and 


342  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

Captain  Bainbridge  found  he  was  getting  into 
shoal  water.  Had  he  been  provided  with  ac 
curate  charts  he  would  have  seen  he  was  in 
worse  than  shoaling  waters,  for  he  was  run 
ning  among  reefs,  the  channels  of  which  were 
well  known  to  the  corsairs. 

By  1 1  o'clock,  with  only  her  topsails  and 
courses  set,  the  Philadelphia  was  bowling  along 
at  eight  knots  an  hour.  The  bow  guns  were 
already  throwing  shot  at  the  flying  corsair  and 
almost  reaching  him,  while  the  walls  of  the  city 
rose  scarcely  three  miles  away.  The  three 
men  who  were  in  the  chains  heaving  the  lead 
had  called  eight  fathoms  of  water  with  drawling 
regularity  for  some  time,  when  one  man  sud 
denly  cried  out  seven  fathoms,  and  fifteen  sec 
onds  later  another  but  six  and  a  half. 

Instantly  the  helm  was  thrown  hard  over  and 
the  ship  came  up  to  the  wind,  headed  for  the 
open  sea,  and  then  with  a  shock  that  threw 
many  of  her  crew  to  the  deck,  she  struck  the 
reef.  The  bow  rose  six  feet  out  of  the  water, 
while  the  cordage  and  masts  creaked  and 
groaned  under  the  tremendous  strain. 

For  a  moment  the  crew  looked  about  in 
silence,  and  then  the  voice  of  the  captain  was 
heard  calling  for  lead- lines  over  the  bow  and 
stern.  It  was  found  that  there  was  but  twelve 
feet  of  water  forward  and  seventeen  aft.  A 
boat  was  lowered  and  a  party  sent  to  sound 


THE  HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  343 

around  the  ship.  They  found  that  she  had 
left  the  channel  when  the  helm  was  put  down. 
Thereat  every  sail  was  set  aback  ;  anchors  and 
guns  were  thrown  overboard  forward  or  run 
aft  to  reduce  the  load  at  the  bow.  Even  the 
foremast  was  cut  away,  but  all  to  no  purpose. 
She  was  hard  and  fast  ashore. 

Meantime  the  enemy's  gunboats  had  come 
out  and  opened  fire  on  the  grounded  frigate. 
The  Americans  replied  with  such  few  guns  as 
could  be  brought  to  bear,  but  eventually  the  tide 
ebbed,  and  the  Philadelphia  keeled  over  until 
nothing  could  be  done  in  her  defence.  So  the 
magazine  was  flooded,  the  pumps  were  dis 
abled,  holes  were  bored  through  her  bottom, 
and  at  5  o'clock  her  flag  was  hauled  down. 

For  some  time  the  Tripolitans  held  aloof, 
fearing  the  sort  of  treachery  they  were  accus 
tomed  to  among  themselves,  but  as  night  fell 
they  boarded  and  plundered  everything  and 
everybody  in  sight.  Even  the  clothing  was 
stripped  from  many  of  the  crew. 

In  all,  315  men  surrendered.  Among 
the  officers  was  Lieutenant  Porter,  already 
mentioned;  Jacob  Jones,  James  Biddle,  and 
James  Renshaw,  who,  though  now  prisoners, 
were  to  help  make  history  in  notable  fashion 
in  another  war  to  come. 

Two  days  later  a  stroncr  wind  from  the  north 

J  o 

piled  the  water  of  the   Mediterranean  high  on 


344  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

the  reef.  The  stern  of  the  Philadelphia  floated, 
anchors  and  cables  were  put  out  astern,  and 
having  stopped  up  the  holes  the  Americans 
had  bored,  and  having  brought  a  strain  on  the 
cables,  the  corsairs  hauled  her  off,  and  she  was 
towed  to  an  anchorage  under  the  Bashaw's 
castle.  And  more  than  that,  the  Tripolitans 
succeeded  in  getting  up  and  replacing  the 
guns,  anchors,  and  most  of  the  shot  that  had 
been  thrown  overboard  to  lighten  her. 

o 

That  Bainbridge  was  eventually  honorably 
acquitted  when  tried  by  court-martial  for  losing 
his  ship,  scarcely  need  be  said. 


CHAPTER    XIV 

DECATUR    AND    THE    PHILADELPHIA 

STORY    OF    THE    BRAVE    MEN    WHO    DISGUISED     A    KETCH     AS    A     MER 
CHANTMAN     AND     SAILED     INTO     THE       HARBOR     OF      TRIPOLI     BY 

NIGHT,  DREW  UP  ALONGSIDE  THE  CAPTURED  PHILADELPHIA, 
AND  THEN,  TO  THE  ORDER  "  BOARDERS  AWAY  !  "  CLIMBED  OVER 
THE  RAIL  AND  THROUGH  THE  PORTS,  AND  WITH  CUTLASS 
AND  PIKE  DROVE  THE  PIRATES  INTO  THE  SEA  OR  TO  A  WORSE 
FATE — "THE  MOST  BOLD  AND  DARING  ACT  OF  THE  AGE." 

WITH  315  American  prisoners,  including 
twenty-two  officers,  to  hold  for  ransom,  and 
with  a  swift  and  most  substantial  thirty-six-gun 
frigate  added  to  his  fleet,  the  Bashaw  of  Trip 
oli  had  gained  a  decided  advantage  over  the 
Americans.  He  was  so  pleased  over  it  that  on 
a  festival  day  that  followed  the  accident,  he 
brought  the  officers  before  him  where  his  court 

o 

was  assembled  in  gala  attire  and,  after  a  proper 
greeting,  the  Americans  were  liberally  sprinkled 
with  ottar  of  roses  and  other  perfumes  and 
were  served  with  coffee  and  sherbet.  Later, 
however,  they  were  confined  in  filthy  dungeons 
and  otherwise  ill  treated.  But,  in  spite  of  dun 
geons,  through  the  aid  of  Mr.  N.  C.  Nissen, 


346  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

the  Danish  consul  at  Tripoli,  who  was  unre 
mitting  in  kind  attentions  to  the  Americans, 
Bainbridge  was  able  to  communicate  with  the 
American  fleet,  and  on  December  5,  1803,  he 
sent  a  letter,  written  with  lime  juice  (which 
becomes  legible  when  heated),  in  which  he  pro 
posed  that  the  Philadelphia  be  destroyed  as 
she  lay  at  anchor  by  the  Americans,  who  might 
come  into  the  harbor  at  night  in  a  schooner, 
and,  after  firing  her,  get  away  again.  The  sug 
gestion  was  adopted,  and  it  was  carried  out 
in  a  fashion  that  made  the  name  of  Decatur 
famous  in  the  annals  of  the  American  navy. 

At  this  time  Stephen  Decatur,  Jr.,  was  a 
lieutenant  of  the  navy  and  in  command  of  the 
famous  schooner  Enterprise.  On  December 
23,  1803,  h£  'fell  m  witn  a  Tripolitan  ketch 
named  the  Mastico,  that  was  carrying  a  lot  of 
female  slaves  to  the  Sultan  of  Turkey,  and  very 
quickly  captured  her.  This  prize  he  carried 
to  Syracuse,  where  the  American  fleet,  under 
Capt.  Edward  Preble,  was  at  anchor. 

It  is  worth  recalling  here  that  Capt.  Edward 
Preble,  who  was  now  in  command  of  the  Con 
stitution,  had,  as  a  boy  of  fourteen  years,  been 
driven  from  his  home  at  Portland  (Falmouth), 
Maine,  when  that  town  was  destroyed  by  the 
infamous  Mowat  at  the  beginning  of  the  war 
of  the  Revolution. 

At  Syracuse   the  project  of  destroying  the 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 


347 


Philadelphia  by  means  of  a  small  vessel  well 
manned  was  mentioned  to  Decatur.  He 
eagerly  asked  to  be  allowed  to  undertake  the 
work  with  his  schooner,  the  Enterprise,  but 


Stephen  Decatur. 
from  an  engraving'  by  Osborn  q/  the  portrait  by  White. 

the  matter  was  not  at  once  decided  on.  Later 
Lieut.  Charles  Stewart,  who  commanded  the 
brig  Siren,  asked  for  the  place,  but  Preble  had 
decided  meantime  that  Decatur  should  do  it 


348  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

and  that  the  captured  ketch  Mastico  should  be 
employed  because  she  was  of  a  rig  that  could 
more  easily  enter  the  harbor  of  Tripoli  with 
out  attracting  attention. 

Accordingly,  the  ketch  was  taken  into  the 
service  as  a  tender  and  a  picked  crew  of  sixty- 
two  volunteers  put  on  board,  with  a  faithful 
Malta  man  for  pilot.  In  addition  to  these, 
there  were  a  dozen  young  officers  from  the 
Enterprise  and  from  the  flagship  Constitution, 
among  whom  were  two  midshipmen  of  whom 
the  world  was  to  hear  later  on — James  Lawrence 
and  Thomas  Macdonough.  Macdonough  was 
then  but  twenty  years  old,  while  Lawrence  was 
but  sixteen.  Decatur  himself  was  only  twenty- 
four. 

Having  everything  in  readiness,  the  Mastico 
sailed  on  February  9,  1804,  f°r  Tripoli,  with 
the  brig  Siren  in  company  to  lie  in  wait  off 
the  harbor  and  pick  up  the  crew  of  the  Mastico 
should  they  be  obliged  to  take  to  the  small 
boats  at  any  time. 

Running  across  to  Tripoli,  the  expedition 
arrived  by  night,  but  a  furious  gale  defeated 
the  hope  of  success  and  all  but  swamped  the 
Mastico.  For  six  days  she  rolled  to  the  waves, 
her  crew  in  distress  for  lack  of  food  and  of 
any  sleeping  accommodations  whatever,  and 
because  of  the  vermin  the  slaves  had  left 
behind.  But  on  the  i6th  of  February  the 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  349 

weather  moderated  to  a  breeze  that  would  just 
serve  their  purpose,  and  they  stood  in  for  the 
harbor,  overhauling  their  combustibles  on  the 
way  and  finding  everything  dry  and  fit. 

When  night  drew  on,  the  men  were  divided 
into  five  crews,  of  which  three  were  to  fire  as 
many  different  parts  of  the  ship,  one  was  to 
hold  her  upper  deck,  and  one  to  remain  in  and 
guard  the  ketch.  Meantime  seven  more  vol 
unteers  had  been  taken  from  the  Siren.  When 
night  had  fully  come  the  little  ketch  parted 
from  the  brig,  and  at  9  o'clock  was  sailing  into 
the  harbor  by  the  channel  in  which  the  Phila 
delphia  had  been  lost. 

All  the  crew  but  six  well-disguised  men  were 

o 

hidden  below  or  stretched  out  on  deck  in  the 
shadow  of  the  bulwarks,  as  soon  as  the  city's 
lights  came  well  in  view,  and  with  a  failing 
wind  the  ketch  thereafter  drifted  toward  the 
great  hulk  of  the  Philadelphia,  which  was  soon 
brought  plainly  in  view  in  the  moonlight.  Her 
ports  were  aglow  with  lights,  and  her  crew  were 
seen  to  be  at  least  awake  if  not  alert. 

Drawing  near  at  about  10  o'clock,  the  pilot, 
at  Decatur's  order,  steered  the  ketch  so  as  to 
foul  the  Philadelphia  s  rigging  at  the  bowsprit. 
Then  a  sentinel  hailed  the  ketch.  The  Malta 
pilot  replied  that  the  ketch  had  lost  all  her  an 
chors  during  the  gale  and  wished  to  make  fast 
to  the  cables  of  the  Philadelphia  until  others 


350  THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY 

could  be  procured  on  shore.  Then  an  officer 
asked  what  brig  was  off  shore,  for  he  had  seen 
the  Siren  in  spite  of  precautions.  The  pilot 
replied  that  it  was  the  English  war-brig  Trans 
fer,  which  had  been  purchased  at  Malta  for 
the  Tripolitans  and,  fortunately,  was  due  to 
arrive. 

As  the  pilot  talked,  many  of  the  Tripoli- 
tans  gathered  at  the  Philadelphia's  rail  and 
ports  to  peer  over  at  the  ketch.  So  when, 
at  last,  the  chains  at  the  Philadelphia's  bow 
were  almost  within  grasp  the  wind  failed, 
and  the  next  instant  a  cat's-paw  caught  the 
ketch  aback ;  she  began  to  drift  toward  the 
broadside  of  the  big  ship,  where  all  these  Tri 
politans  would  have  a  fair  view  of  her  deck. 
It  was  a  moment  of  great  peril,  but  without  the 
least  flurry  two  of  the  disguised  sailors  got  into 
a  small  boat  and  carried  a  line  to  a  ring-bolt  on 
the  man-o'-war's  bow.  Then  the  disguised  men 
on  board  the  ketch  began  hauling  in,  while 
those  lying  in  the  shadow  of  the  bulwarks, 
trusting  to  the  depth  of  the  shadow,  lent  their 
aid  by  hauling  hand  over  fist  as  they  lay 
there. 

Meantime  the  Tripolitans  had  sent  a  small 
boat  with  a  line  by  which  they  intended  to 
swing  the  ketch  astern  of  the  Philadelphia,  but 
the  Yankees  in  the  small  boat,  with  great  pres 
ence  of  mind,  took  it  from  them  and  carried 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  351 

it  to  the  ketch,  "to  save  the  gentlemen  the 
trouble,"  as  they  explained  in  broken  Maltese. 
During  all  this  time  the  pilot  had  been  en 
tertaining  the  Tripolitan  officer  with  a  high- 
colored  description  of  the  ketch's  cargo— had 
really  entertained  him  until  the  men  hauling 
on  the  bow  line  had  brought  the  ketch  within 

o 

ten  yards  of  the  big  ship,  when  unhappily  the 
tension  on  the  line  from  the  stern  drew  the 
ketch  broadside  on  to  the  Philadelphia,  where 
the  eyes  of  the  idle  spectators  could  fall  on  the 
men  who  were  lying  on  the  ketch's  deck  eagerly 
hauling  in  on  the  bow  line.  One  fair  look  was 
enough,  and  in  an  instant  the  ship  was  resound 
ing  with  the  cry, 

"  Americano  !     Americano  !  " 

The  moment  for  action  had  come.  Spring 
ing  to  their  feet,  the  Americans  ran  away  with 
the  line.  A  Tripolitan  climbed  over  the  Phila 
delphia's  bows  and  cut  the  line  loose,  but  the 
momentum  already  gained  was  great  enough 
to  land  the  ketch  fair  in  place,  where  grapnels 
were  thrown  out,  and  with  that  Decatur  cried, 
"Boarders  away!"  and  sprang  for  the  rail  of 
the  Philadelphia. 

By  the  side  of  Decatur  stood  Midshipmen 
Morris  and  Laws.  Laws,  to  be  the  first  at  the 
enemy,  strove  to  get  through  a  port,  but  his 
pistols  caught  and  held  him  for  a  moment, 
while  Decatur  slipped  just  enough  to  give 


352  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

Morris  the  honor  of  being  first,  and  then  came 
Decatur  and  all  the  rest  with  swinging  cutlasses 
to  clear  the  deck. 

The  Tripolitans  had  been  fairly  caught  nap 
ping  and,  while  never  a  word  was  spoken,  the 
quarter-deck  was  cleaned  in  a  trice.  Then  the 


Burning  of  the   Frigate  Philadelphia  by  Decatur. 
From  an  old  wood  cut. 

Americans  formed  instantly  in  a  line  athwart- 
ship  and  charged  silently  forward.  Whelmed 
by  the  fierce  onslaught,  the  Tripolitans  fled 
for  life,  and  the  rapid  sound  of  bodies  falling 
into  the  water  alongside  tolcl  whither  many 
were  fleeing.  Others  ran  below,  where  some 
met  death  from  the  cutlasses  and  pikes  of 
sailors  who  had  climbed  through  the  ports, 


THE    HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY  353 

and  others  hid  to  meet  a  worse  fate  a  brief 
time  later. 

So  swift  and  thorough  was  the  work  of  the 
American  boarders  that  in  ten  minutes  the  last 
show  of  resistance  was  ended.  And  then  a 
single  rocket  drew  its  line  of  flame  high  in  air 
to  tell  the  anxious  friends  without  the  bar  that 
the  Philadelphia  was  captured. 

Even  while  the  rocket  mounted,  the  three 
crews  that  had  been  assigned  to  fire  the  ship 
were  passing  up  the  combustibles  from  the 
ketch,  and  never  was  a  work  of  destruction 
more  completely  done  than  that  which  fol 
lowed. 

Midshipman  Morris,  he  who  had  first  reached 
the  enemy,  was  in  charge  of  the  crew  that  fired 
the  cockpit,  the  lowest  attainable  point  in  the 
ship.  He  did  his  work  effectually,  but  so  swiftly 
had  those  worked  on  the  deck  above  him  that 
when  he  followed  his  men  up  they  barely  had 
time  to  escape. 

On  reaching  the  upper  deck  the  flames  were 
found  pouring  from  the  portholes  on  both  sides 
and  flaring  up  to  lap  the  tar-soaked  shrouds 
and  stays.  Decatur  was  there,  waiting  for  those 
from  the  cockpit.  When  they  came  he  paused 
but  a  moment  to  see  that  the  fire  was  effectu 
ally  set,  and  then  over  the  rail  tumbled  every 
man  jack  of  the  expedition,  Decatur  himself 
being  the  last  to  leave  the  burning  ship.  I ndeed, 
23 


354  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

the  ketch  was  then  drifting  clear,  and  he  had  to 
jump  to  reach  her.  He  had  been  on  board  but 
twenty-five  minutes,  all  told. 

With  poles  and  oars  the  Americans  now 
strove  to  get  away,  but  in  some  way  the  ketch 
swung  around  under  the  stern  of  the  big  ship 
with  boom  afoul,  her  sail  flapping  against  the 
ship's  sides,  and,  at  the  last,  with  the  flames 
pouring  through  the  ship's  cabin  windows  into 
the  cabin  of  the  ketch,  where  all  the  ammuni 
tion  of  the  expedition  was  stored,  covered  over 
with  sail-cloth  only.  The  peril  was  imminent, 
but  it  was  averted  when  some  one  discovered 
that  the  forgotten  line  from  the  stern  was  still 
fast. 

When  that  was  cleared,  and  with  their  big 
oars,  eight  on  a  side,  the  crew  began  to  sweep 
the  ketch  away  toward  the  sea,  the  flames  on 
the  Philadelphia  reached  her  tarred  rigging 
at  the  rail.  Running  thence  to  the  mast 
head,  they  made  such  giant  torches  as  illumi 
nated  the  whole  bay  and  exposed  the  fleeing 
ketch  as  if  in  the  light  of  day. 

The  Tripolitans  hastened  to  their  guns.  The 
ketch  was  still  well  within  range,  for  the  Phila 
delphia  lay  but  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the 
fort,  and  in  a  few  moments  heavy  shot  were 
bounding  and  splashing  over  the  smooth  water 
on  every  side.  But,  whether  from  anger  or 
mere  excitement,  the  barbarian  aim  was  bad, 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  357 

and  only  one  shot  reached  the  little  vessel,  and 
that  merely  passed  through  a  sail. 

And  then  to  the  roar  of  the  cannon  on  the 
beach  was  added  that  of  the  guns  of  the  Phila 
delphia,  which,  heated  by  the  fierce  flames  of 
deck  and  frames,  began  to  discharge  them 
selves.  But  not  all  of  them  were  fired  so. 
Only  a  few  had  been  noted  when  the  wonder 
ing  spectators  saw  the  great  hull  suddenly  burst 
open,  with  huge  sheets  of  flame  spurting  from 
between  the  parting  timbers.  The  masts  with 
their  flaming  rigging  shot  up  a  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  into  the  air.  All  eyes  were  for  a  mo 
ment  dazzled  with  the  blazing  light,  and  then 
came  a  shock  and  roar  that  made  the  earth  and 
sea  shudder.  The  fire  had  reached  the  well- 
filled  magazine. 

The  waves  from  the  explosion  came  out  to 
rock  the  triumphant  Americans  in  their  little 
ketch,  now  rapidly  reaching  their  shipmates 
and  safety. 

Not  one  American  lost  his  life  and  but  one 
was  wounded.  Of  the  Tripolitans  more  than 
twenty  were  certainly  killed  by  the  boarders, 
while  many  wounded  ones  jumped  overboard, 
and  many  cowards  sneaked  to  hiding  places 
below,  where  the  flames  ended  them. 

To  reward  those  who  had  participated  in 
this  feat,  which  Lord  Nelson,  it  is  said,  called 
"  the  most  bold  and  daring  act  of  the  age," 


358  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

Congress  made  Decatur  a  captain  and  gave  him 
a  sworcl,  and  to  each  of  the  others  two  months' 
pay.  And,  because  of  this  adventure,  the  name 
of  the  ketch  was  changed  to  Intrepid. 

To  show  his  feelings  in  the  matter,  the  Ba 
shaw  of  Tripoli  placed  the  American  prisoners 
in  a  cold,  damp  apartment  in  the  castle,  where 
their  only  light  was  from  an  iron  grating  in  the 
ceiling,  and  he  did  not  release  them  from  it 
until  compelled  to  make  peace. 


Piece   of  the  Philadelphia's  Stern. 
From  the  original  piece  at  the  Naval  Institute,  A  nnapolis. 


CHAPTER    XV 

HAND-TO-HAND    WITH    THE    PIRATES 

A  FIGHT  AGAINST  ODDS  OF  THREK  GUNBOATS  TO  ONE — DECATUR 
AND  MACDONOUGH  LEADING  THE  BOARDERS — COLD-BLOODED 
MURDER  AND  THE  VENGEANCE  THAT  FOLLOWED — WHEN  REU 
BEN  JAMES  WON  FAME — ELEVEN  AGAINST  FORTY-THREE  IN  A 
HAND-TO-HAND  STRUGGLE,  AND  THE  REMARKABLE  RESULT — 
THE  HANDY  CONSTITUTION — FIRED  THEIR  GUN  AS  THE  BOAT 
SANK  UNDER  THEM — WHEN  SOMERS  AND  HIS  MATES  WENT  TO 
THEIR  DEATH  IN  A  FIRESHII' — END  OF  THE  WAR  WITH  THE 
PIRATES. 

AFTER  the  destruction  of  the  Philadelphia 
the  war  against  the  Tripolitans  was  carried  on 
with  increased  vigor.  A  number  of  gunboats, 
carrying  one  long  heavy  gun  each,  and  two 
barges,  carrying  a  big  thirteen-inch  brass  mortar 
each,  were  "generously  loaned  us  by  his  Sicil 
ian  majesty."  With  these  and  the  force  al 
ready  in  hand  a  number  of  attacks  were  made 
on  the  city  of  Tripoli  by  Captain  Preble,  who 
was  still  in  command  of  the  American  forces. 
The  first  of  these,  and  the  most  notable  as  a 
battle,  took  place  on  the  afternoon  of  August 
3,  1804.  Six  gunboats,  in  two  divisions,  were 
sent  in  to  attack  the  enemy's  fleet.  Master 
Commandant  Richard  Somers,  of  whom  a  re- 


From  an  engraving  by  Kelly  of  the  picture  in  Faneuil  Hal',  Boston. 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  361 

markable  story  will  be  told  further  on,  led  one 
division,  and  young  Stephen  Decatur,  now  a 
captain,  the  other.  Of  the  six  gunboats  only 
three  succeeded  in  weathering  the  point  and 
getting  at  the  enemy  ;  but  one  of  these  car 
ried  Stephen  Decatur,  and  another  Stephen's 
brother,  Lieut.  James  Decatur.  The  Tripoli- 
tan  fleet  numbered  nine  gunboats,  each  at  least 
as  well  manned  and  armed  as  any  of  the  Ameri 
can  boats,  but  the  Yankees  dashed  at  the  head 
of  the  fleet  with  hearty  cheers.  Stephen  Deca- 
tur's  boat  was  the  first  to  open  the  fire.  Its 
long  gun  had  been  loaded  with  a  thousand 
musket-balls  in  a  bag,  in  lieu  of  the  ordinary 
projectiles,  and  it  was  fired  at  point-blank 
range.  A  moment  later  the  Yankee  boat  was 
beside  the  enemy,  and  Decatur  led  the  way  to 
her  quarter-deck.  The  Tripolitans  retreated 
forward,  where  a  wide,  open  hatch  protected 
them,  after  a  fashion,  from  direct  assault;  but  a 
narrow  gangway  was  found  on  each  side  of  the 
hatch — a  gangway  where  men  might  advance 
in  single  file — and  over  these  narrow  paths  the 
Yankees  charged.  Decatur  was  first  on  one 
side  and  Midshipman  Thomas  Macdonough 
on  the  other — the  Macdonough  who  was  to 
win  still  greater  fame  on  Lake  Champlain.  It 
was  a  bloody  but  a  brief  fight,  and  the  Tripoli- 
tans  fled  over  the  rail,  save  eight  who  tumbled 
down  the  hatch  and  were  made  prisoners. 


V  *  ;p  * 


362  THE   HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

When  an  examination  was  made  they  found 
the  Tripolitan  captain  dead,  with  fourteen  bul 
lets  from  the  great  gun  through  him. 

Meantime  Lieut.  James  Decatur  had,  with 
equal  ardor,  attacked  another  of  the  Tripoli- 
tans,  and  her  commander,  seeing  the  great 
power  of  the  Americans,  determined  to  try  to 
do  by  treachery  what  he  could  not  hope  to  do 
open-handed.  He  hauled  down  his  ilag  after 
the  first  fire  had  been  received,  and  then  waited 
the  coming  of  Lieut.  James  Decatur  to  take 
possession  —  waited  with  a  loaded  pistol  at 
hand.  As  Decatur  stood  at  the  rail  ready  to 
board  and  take  possession,  the  Tripolitan  shot 
him  dead,  the  bullet  passing  through  his  head. 
As  the  Tripolitan  had  hoped,  the  Americans 
were  thrown  into  confusion  by  the  unexpected 
attack,  and  he  was  able  to  haul  off. 

But  he  did  not  escape.  In  some  way  Stephen 
Decatur  heard  that  his  brother  had  been  mur 
dered.  He  was  towing  his  captured  gunboat 
to  a  place  of  safety,  but  he  cast  her  off,  and, 
seconded  by  his  crew,  who  were  thoroughly 
aroused  by  the  story,  he  went  after  the  assassin. 

A  round  of  grapeshot  and  musketry  was 
poured  into  the  fleeing  barbarian,  and  then 
Decatur  led  the  boarders,  and  himself  selected 
the  captain  for  his  own  victim,  A  most  des 
perate  hand-to-hand  fight  followed,  for  the  Tri 
politan  was  a  more  powerful  man  than  the 


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1-s 


364  THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

American.  Decatur  lunged  at  him  with  a 
boarding  pike.  The  Mussulman  parried  the 
blow,  caught  the  weapon,  and  wrenching  it 
away,  lungecl  at  Decatur.  Decatur  had  drawn 
his  sword,  and  with  this  he  parried  the  thrust, 
but  his  sword  broke  short  off  at  the  hilt.  The 
Tripolitan  lunged  again,  and  Decatur,  although 
he  parried  the  blow,  was  wounded  in  the  chest 
and  arm,  and  a  moment  later  the  two  were 
clasped  in  a  wrestling  struggle  for  life. 

At  this  another  Mussulman  aimed  a  blow  at 
Decatur's  head  from  behind.  It  was  apparently 
all  over  with  the  gallant  American,  for  no  other 
American  was  within  reach  save  one,  a  seaman, 
Reuben  James,  and  both  of  his  arms  were  dis 
abled.  But  James  leaped  in,  and  with  his  head 
caught  the  blow  aimed  at  Decatur. 

And  then  the  Tripolitan  threw  Decatur 
to  the  deck,  and  Yankees  and  Mussulmans 
thronged  in  and  piled  themselves  over  the 
two  leaders. 

As  it  happened,  each  of  the  leaders  fell,  with 
one  arm  free  and  one  pinned  by  the  men  on 
top.  The  Tripolitan  with  his  free  arm  drew 
a  long  knife,  Decatur  a  pocket  pistol.  For  a 
moment  each  felt  the  other's  ribs  to  locate  the 
heart,  but  Decatur  was  first  by  a  fraction  of  a 
second,  and  his  pistol-ball  did  faithful  work, 
killing  the  Mussulman  instantly. 

Then  the  Americans  cleared  the  enemy  from 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


365 


Reuben  James  Saving  Decatur's  Life. 
From  an  engraving  of  the  picture  by  Chappel. 

over  their  captain,  and  when  he  reached  his 
feet  the  victory  was  won,  for  the  Mussulmans 
fled  over  the  rail  as  usual.  It  is  comforting  to 
know  that  the  brave  Reuben  James  recovered 
from  the  wounds  he  had  received,  and  lived  to 


366  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

serve  the  nation  more  than  forty  years.  It 
was  his  boast  that  he  was  in  "  ten  fights  and 

o 

as  many  skrimmedges,"  and  it  was  his  custom  to 
celebrate  the  anniversary  of  each  with  enthusi 
asm.  A  jolly  old  tar  was  Reuben  James. 

Of  equal  bravery  were  the  men  on  the  third 
American  gunboat.  She  was  commanded  by 
Sailing  Master  John  Trippe  and  Midshipman 
John  D.  Henley.  Ranging  up  beside  the  en 
emy,  these  two  officers  and  nine  men  got 
on  board  of  her,  and  then  the  two  boats  sepa 
rated,  leaving  these  eleven  men  to  face  the 
whole  barbarian  crew,  with  no  chance  of  retreat 
and  small  hope  of  timely  assistance. 

But  Trippe  and  Henley  were  just  the  men 
to  lead  such  a  forlorn  hope.  Pikes  and  swords 
in  hand,  the  eleven  charged  the  enemy,  Trippe 
and  Henley  singling  out  the  Tripolitan  cap 
tain,  knowing  that  victory  was  assured  if  they 
could  cut  him  down.  But  he  was  a  magnificent 
specimen  of  humanity,  and  it  is  said  that  he 
had  sworn  on  the  Koran  to  win  victory  or  die. 

Fighting  with  the  energy  born  of  fanaticism, 
he  wounded  Trippe  no  less  than  eleven  times, 
and  at  last  Trippe  went  down  with  one  knee 
on  the  deck,  but  while  in  this  position  he  caught 
the  Tripolitan  with  breast  unguarded  and 
thrust  him  through  with  a  pike.  And  that 
ended  one  of  the  most  remarkable  fights  re 
corded  in  the  annals  of  the  navy.  For  Trippe 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


367 


and  his  ten  men  killed  fourteen  of  the  Tripoli- 
tans,  and  made  the  remainder,  twenty-two  in 
number,  prisoners.  The  number  of  the  enemy 
wounded  was  only  seven.  The  Americans 
struck  to  kill  in  that  fight.  Besides  Trippe, 
a  boatswain's  mate  and  two  marines  were 
wounded,  but  none  was  killed  among  the 
Americans. 

Meantime  Master 
Commandant  Somers, 
finding  he  could  not  sail 
his  boat  inside  of  the 
reef  by  the  route  De- 
catur  had  taken,  went 
down  wind  to  the  oppo 
site  end  of  the  reef,  and 
for  a  time  faced  five  of 
the  enemy's  boats.  The 
other  American  gun 
boats  came  in  later,  and  the  enemy  was  driven 
off.  The  Constitution  (the  flagship)  and  the 
smaller  vessels  of  the  American  fleet  sailed 
close  under  the  enemy's  batteries,  silencing 
them  over  and  again,  and  bombarding  the 
city.  That  the  batteries  were  not  permanently 
silenced  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  Tripol- 
itans  had  25,000  soldiers  within,  and  these  re- 
manned  the  guns  of  each  battery  as  soon  as 
the  American  ships  ceased  firing  at  it. 

So  well  did  the  Americans  show  their  power 


John  Trippe. 
After  a  French  engraving. 


368  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR   NAVY 

here  in  hand-to-hand  fights  that  thereafter  the 
Tripolitans  would  never  engage  them  in  that 
way.  And  the  manner  in  which  the  Constitu 
tion  was  handled  must  also  be  mentioned,  for 
she  was  sailed  boldly  into  the  harbor,  and  there 
sail  was  taken  in  or  made  as  if  it  were  a  mere 
exhibition  of  skill  in  a  friendly  port,  while  her 
guns  were  handled  with  the  precision  of  peace 
ful  target  practice.  The  admiration  of  all  for 
eigners  was  excited,  but  the  time  when  Ameri 
can  naval  crews  were  to  compel  the  respect  of 
all  foreign  powers  had  not  yet  arrived. 

In  the  subsequent  attacks  on  the  city,  there 
were  many  incidents  of  interest  to  American 
readers.  A  heavy  shot  penetrated  the  castle 
one  clay  where  the  American  prisoners  were 
confined.  It  covered  Captain  Bainbridge  with 
the  debris  of  the  wall  and  snatched  the  clothes 
off  the  bed  on  which  he  was  lying. 

While  one  of  the  American  gunboats  was 
firing  on  a  shore  battery,  a  hot  shot  penetrated 
her  magazine  and  she  was  blown  up.  At  the 
moment  of  the  explosion  Midshipman  Robert 
T.  Spence  and  a  gun's  crew  were  loading  the 
big  gun  on  the  bow.  As  it  happened,  the  ex 
plosion  did  not  injure  either  them  or  their  gun, 
although  it  opened  wide  the  bottom  of  the 
boat.  And  so  it  came  to  pass  that,  as  the  smoke 
cleared  away,  spectators  saw  Spence  and  his 
men  still  at  work  loading  the  gun.  And  not 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  371 

only  did  they  complete  their  work  ;  as  the  boat 
sank  under  them  they  gave  three  cheers  for  the 
flag,  and  fired  their  last  shot  at  the  enemy,  with 
the  rising  water  wetting  their  feet. 

Spence  was  not  able  to  swim,  but  he  got  hold 
of  a  big  oar,  and  so  kept  afloat  with  eleven 
others  until  picked  up,  when  he  and  the  others 
saved  turned  to  and  continued  the  fight. 

The  story  of  the  most  stirring  and  the  most 
unfortunate  attack  on  the  city  remains  to  be 
told.  Captain  Preble,  "desirous  of  annoying 
the  enemy  by  all  means,"  decided  to  send  a  fire- 
ship  among  their  shipping.  The  ketch  Intrepid, 
that  had  served  so  well  in  the  attack  upon  the 
captured  Philadelphia,  was  selected  for  the 
sacrifice.  A  hundred  barrels  of  powder  in 
bulk  and  150  fixed  shells  and  a  lot  of  eld  iron 
were  placed  in  a  bin  amidships,  and  from 
this  a  pipe  led  to  a  room  well  aft,  where  a 
huge  mass  of  combustibles  was  placed.  It  was 
intended  to  handle  the  ketch  as  a  blockade 
runner  and  so  get  her  into  the  midst  of  the 
enemy's  shipping.  She  was  then  to  be  fired 
in  the  after-room,  and  the  blaze  there,  it  was 
supposed,  would  be  fierce  enough  to  prevent 
the  Tripolitans  extinguishing  it.  Meantime  a 
train  regulated  to  burn  fifteen  minutes  would 
be  running  through  the  pipe  to  the  magazine. 
Two  swift  rowboats  were  placed  on  the  ketch, 
and  in  these  her  crew  hoped  to  escape  to  the 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  373 

smaller  vessels  that  would  be  in  waiting  to  pick 
them  up. 

The  glory  which  Decatur  and  his  men  had 
won  in  their  attacks  on  the  Philadelphia  had 
inspired  the  whole  force  of  the  fleet,  and  volun 
teers  a-plenty  were  eager  to  man  the  ketch. 
Of  those  who  offered,  Master  Commandant 
Richard  Somers  was  chosen  to  command,  while 
Midshipman  Henry  Wadsworth  was  made  sec 
ond,  with  ten  seamen  for  a  crew.  In  addi 
tion  to  these  was  a  stowaway — Midshipman 
Joseph  Israel.  He  had  pleaded  in  vain  for 
permission  to  go,  and  so  hid  on  board.  He 
was  discovered,  but  was  then  allowed  to  go. 

Every  man  of  the  crew  knew  very  well  the 
great  danger  of  the  venture,  and  Somers  and 
his  officers  declared  they  would  not  be  taken 
alive.  Somers,  before  starting,  took  off  a  ring 
he  wore  and,  breaking  it  into  three  pieces,  gave 
one  to  Decatur,  another  to  Master  Commandant 
Charles  Stewart,  his  most  intimate  friends.  He 
kept  the  third  himself.  The  two  pieces  given 
away  were  to  be  preserved  as  mementoes  if  he 
failed  to  return.  The  seamen  of  the  crew  dis 
posed  of  their  effects  as  if  facing  certain  death. 

It  was  on  the  night  of  September  4,  1804, 
that  the  attempt  was  made.  A  fog  lay  low  over 
the  water,  and  a  fair  wind  filled  the  sails  as  the 
ketch,  at  8  o'clock,  left  the  flagship  and  sailed 
away  silently  into  the  night. 


374  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

A  little  later  the  Argus,  the  Vixen,  and  the 
Nautilus,  all  small  cruisers,  stood  over  toward 
the  channel  in  order  to  cover  the  retreat  of  the 
ketch,  for  three  Tripolitan  gunboats  had  an 
chored  there  during  the  afternoon  and  were 
likely  to  make  trouble  for  the  ketch's  crew. 
The  Na-utihis  led  the  way  for  the  guarding 
fleet,  and  she  held  the  ketch  in  view  until  so 
near  the  channel  that  there  was  danger  that 
she  (the  Nautilus)  would  be  discovered,  when 
she  hauled  her  wind  to  await  the  event  of  the 
expedition. 

Her  crew  soon  saw  the  ketch  fade  away  in 
the  night,  but  so  intense  was  their  interest 
that  many  climbed  over  the  rail  to  get  clown 
with  their  ears  to  the  water  that  they  might 
hear  the  sooner  any  sound  coming  from 
her. 

In  the  rigging  of  \hz Nautilus,  not  far  above 
deck,  Midshipman  Ridgeley  was  able,  with  the 
aid  of  a  powerful  glass,  to  follow  the  ketch 
into  the  channel.  He  saw  her  glide  as  a 
shadow  between  the  gunboats  there.  At  this 
moment  a  signal  gun  was  fired  from  the  shore. 
It  was  followed  by  the  rapid  firing  of  every 
cannon  on  that  side  of  the  harbor.  Immedi 
ately  there  was  a  commotion  among  the  three 
gunboats  in  the  channel,  and  at  that  the  light 
of  a  lantern  in  the  hands  of  one  who  ran  was 
seen  passing  along  the  deck  of  the  ketch. 


If 

*N  « 


5       « 

8-     8 


r  V  Of  THE 

UNtVERSlT 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  377 

This  light  paused  over  the  midship  hatch  to 
drop  out  of  sight  an  instant  later,  and  then  a 
hell  of  flame  burst  up  to  the  sky,  where  the  light 
had  disappeared. 

A  shock  followed  that  made  the  ships  beyond 
the  bar  quiver  until  tiny  waves  spread  away 
over  the  smooth  water.  And  .with  the  shock 
came  a  roar  that  deafened.  And  then,  as  the 
echoes  of  the  roar  died  away  among  the  dis 
tant  hills,  the  patter  and  splash  of  shells  and 
splintered  timbers  were  heard  on  every  side, 
while  cries  as  of  fear  and  distress  arose  from 
the  city — cries  that  were  followed  by  absolute 
silence. 

All  night  long  the  Americans  cruised  to  and 
fro  about  the  channel,  firing  guns  and  rockets 
at  intervals,  hoping  against  despair  to  find  a 
survivor.  When  morning  came  to  give  a  fair 
view  of  the  harbor,  one  of  the  enemy's  gun 
boats  was  missing,  and  the  Tripolitans  were 
hauling  three  others,  badly  shattered,  out  on 
the  beach.  The  ketch  and  all  who  sailed  in 
her — the  "  men,  whose  names  ought  to  live  in 
the  recollection  and  affections  of  a  grateful 
country,  and  whose  conduct  ought  to  be  re 
garded  as  an  example  to  future  generations  " 
—had  been  blown  to  pieces. 

Richard  Somers,  finding  that  his  venture  was 
discovered,  and  the  crew  of  a  Tripolitan  gun 
boat  coming  on  board,  had  deliberately  fired 


378  THE  HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 

the  mine,  and,  Samson-like,  had  destroyed 
himself  with  the  enemy. 

Fragments  of  the  wreck  and  a  number  of 
bodies  of  white  men  were  picked  up  in  the 
harbor.  The  bodies  were  viewed  by  Captain 
Bainbriclge,  but  none  was  definitely  recognized. 

Other  attacks  on  the  city  followed.  The 
Congress  gave  Preble  a  gold  medal,  each  of  his 
officers  and  midshipmen  a  sword,  and  all  others 
of  the  crew  a  month's  pay  because  of  their  good 
work  there.  The  force  was  increased  by  other 
ships  until  there  were  five  frigates,  a  brig,  three 
schooners,  a  sloop,  and  a  dozen  or  so  gunboats 
and  bomb  barges  in  the  fleet,  making  the  most 
powerful  squadron  that  had  ever  assembled 
under  the  flag.  For  that  clay  and  place  it  was 
an  impressive  display  of  the  sea  power.  In  the 
meantime  a  formidable  uprising  had  taken 
place  in  the  Bashaw's  dominions,  and  the  capi 
tal  of  his  chief  province  was  captured  by  the 
leader  of  the  revolt  with  the  aid  of  the  Ameri 
cans.  So  the  Bashaw  became  alarmed  and 
eventually  offered  to  deliver  up  all  prisoners 
for  a  ransom  of  $60,000  and  to  agree  never 
again  to  trouble  American  commerce.  This 
offer  was  accepted,  and  peace  followed.  The 
fleet  then  sailed  to  Tunis,  whose  ruler,  stimu 
lated  by  the  British  consul-general,  had  ex 
pelled  the  American  agent.  To  him  terms  of 
peace  were  dictated  under  the  muzzles  of  the 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


379 


Preble's   Medal. 


guns  of  the  fleet.      And  that  was   a  matter  of 
wonder  to  the  nations  of  Europe,  for  never  had 


380  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

such  a  thing  been  done  before.  So  closes  the 
story  of  the  American  navy's  work  during  the 
period  between  the  Revolution  and  the  War  of 
1812. 

As  it  appears  in  the  perspective  of  a  hundred 
years,  that  was  in  many  ways  a  most  important 
epoch.  It  was,  first  of  all,  the  time  in  which  the 
ruling  policy  of  the  American  navy,  as  regards 
the  construction  of  ships,  was  formed — the 
policy  under  which  it  was  determined  to  build 
only  as  many  ships  as  might  be  necessary  to 
defend  the  nation  and  its  commerce  from  ag 
gressors,  but  each  ship  to  be  the  most  power 
ful  possible  for  its  size.  Every  device  and 
model  that  seemed  likely  to  add  to  the  effi 
ciency  of  these  vessels  was  tried,  regardless 
of  expense.  The  eager  enterprise  of  the 
new  nation  and  the  ships  this  enterprise  set 
afloat  excited  endless  derision  from  the  Brit 
ish  officers  of  that  day.  The  Constitution  was 
called  "a  pine  box"  by  some  Englishmen  who 
inspected  her.  They  had  to  learn  by  hard 
experience  their  error. 

The  foreign  commerce  of  the  nation,  through 
the  influence  of  this  new  fleet,  was  not  only 
freed  from  the  evils  which  the  Mediterranean 
pirates  had  brought  upon  it,  but  also  from 
those  for  which  the  French  anarchists  were  re 
sponsible.  Indeed,  that  commerce  grew  until 
the  increase  of  the  tariff  collected  from  imports 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  381 

amounted  to  several  times  the  cost  of  the  whole 
American  navy. 

But  valuable  as  were  these  gains,  they  were, 
perhaps,  together  of  less  importance  than  was 
the  effect  of  the  deeds  of  the  naval  heroes 
upon  the  people  of  the  new  republic.  In  the 
war  of  the  Revolution  we  had,  indeed,  won 
liberty,  but  we  still  dragged  the  slave-chains 
of  colonists.  Without  having  known  what  it 
was  to  be  freemen  we  had  established  a  gov 
ernment  of  and  by  the  people  and  we  found 
ourselves  in  unfamiliar  quarters.  We  had 
placed  ourselves,  so  to  speak,  on  the  quarter 
deck  without  having  mastered  the  art  of  navi 
gation,  and  while  quartered  in  the  cabin,  we 
had  the  manners  of  the  forecastle  and  smelled 
of  bilgewater.  Our  new  uniforms  did  not  fit 
us  well,  but  there  was  no  form  of  training  that 
could  so  quickly  swell  the  muscles  until  they 
would  fill  the  garments  of  liberty  as  a  right 
eous  foreign  war.  The  war  with  the  Barbary 
pirates  was  of  all  wars  most  righteous.  It 
stirred  the  indignation  of  the  most  sluggish 
patriot  to  read  of  the  deeds  of  these  black 
hounds  of  the  sea,  while  the  signal  valor  of 
those  who  fought  under  the  American  flag 
leavened  the  spirit  of  the  whole  nation.  As 
the  stories  of  the  deeds  of  those  who  fought 
afloat  for  liberty  had  prepared  the  way  for 
manning  the  new  fleet  which  aggression 


382  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

compelled  us  to  build,  so  the  stories  of  the 
deeds  of  the  heroes  of  the  new  navy  nerved 
the  nation  for  the  conflict  that  was  already 
at  hand.  Small  as  were  the  numbers  of  the 
crews  who  carried  the  flag  overseas  in  this 
epoch,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  they,  and  they 
alone,  strengthened  the  heart  of  the  people 
until  it  was  possible  to  resist  the  shock  of  1812. 


CHAPTER    XVI 

WHY   WE    FOUGHT    IN    1812 

A  STIRRING  TALE  OF  THE  OUTRAGES  PERPETRATED  ON  AMERICAN 
CITIZENS  BY  THE  PRESS-GANGS  OF  THE  BRITISH  NAVY — HORRORS 
OF  LIFE  ON  SHIPS  WHERE  THE  OFFICERS  FOUND  PLEASURE  IN 
THE  USE  OF  THE  CAT— DOOMED  TO  SLAVERY  FOR  LIFE — IM 
PRESSED  FROM  THE  BALTIMORE — A  BRITISH  SEAMAN'S  JOKE  AND 
ITS  GHASTLY  RESULT — THE  BRITISH  ADMIRALTY'S  WAY  OF  DEAL 
ING  WITH  DELIBERATE  MURDER  IN  AMERICAN  WATERS — ASSAULT 
OF  THE  LEOPARD  ON  THE  CHESAPEAKE  TO  COMPEL  AMERICAN 
SEAMEN  TO  RETURN  TO  THE  SLAVERY  THEY  HAD  ESCAPED — 
BUILDING  HARBOR-DEFENCE  BOATS  TO  PROTECT  AMERICAN  SEA 
MEN  FROM  OUTRAGE  ON  THE  HIGH  SEAS — OTHER  GOOD  REASONS 
FOR  GOING  TO  WAR. 

THERE  were  many  causes  operating  through 
weary  years  to  force  the  American  nation  to 
declare  war  against  the  British  in  1812,  which 

o 

the  reader  will  recall  readily,  of  course.  Great 
Britain  retained  the  frontier  posts  which  she 
had  agreed  to  surrender  when  the  war  of  the 
Revolution  came  to  an  end.  She  used  these 
posts  as  headquarters  for  Indian  tribes,  whose 
friendship  she  cultivated  that  she  might  use 
them  to  the  injury  of  the  United  States.  She 
even  incited  them  to  attack  the  American 
pioneers,  and  furnished  them  with  guns  and 


384  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

scalping  knives  when  night  assaults  on  peace 
ful  settlers  were  to  be  made.  Although  all 
Europe  was  submerged  in  a  turmoil  of  blood, 
she  turned  aside  from  the  great  interests  there 
to  foment  discord  between  the  States  of  the 
American  Union,  seeking  thereby  to  disrupt 
the  nation  in  the  hope  that  a  part — the  New 
England  part,  at  that — would  return  to  the 
colonial  relationship.  Remembering  the  pro 
digious  growth  of  American  shipping  and  the 
consequent  complaints  of  her  own  shipowners, 
she  used  every  means  to  harass  American  com 
merce.  To  detail  all  of  the  evils  she  heaped 
upon  the  decks  of  American  ships  is  unnec 
essary,  but  the  reader  will  remember  that  a 
time  came  when  she  ordered  that  every  Ameri 
can  ship  carrying  cargo  to  any  part  of  Europe 
must  call  first  at  a  port  in  England,  land  the 
cargo,  pay  duty  on  it,  and  then  carry  it  away 
again,  subject  to  such  regulations  as  seemed 
most  beneficial  to  her. 

As  the    Edinburgh  Review    for    November, 
1812,  said,  "  the  spirit  of  animosity  and  uncon- 
ciliating  contempt  pervaded  the  whole  proceed 
ings   of  the   government  "   toward  the   Ameri 
cans.       And    although    "  they    are    descended 
from    our    loins — they   speak    our   language— 
they  have   adopted   our  laws — they  retain  our 
usages    and   manners — they  read  our  books — 
they  have   copied  our  freedom — they  rival  our 


THE    HISTORY   OF   OUR   NAVY  385 

courage  ;  yet  they  are  less  popular  and  less 
esteemed  among  MS  than  the  base  and  bigoted  Por 
tuguese,  or  the  ferocious  and  ignorant  Russians" 
That  the  retention  of  the  frontier  posts,  the 
inciting  of  the  Indians  to  night  attacks  on  the 
frontiersmen,  and  the  interferences  with  Ameri 
can  oversea  trade  were  separately  sufficient 
causes  of  war  and,  combined,  more  than  suffi 
cient,  will  not  now  be  seriously  disputed,  if  the 
advocate  of  peace  will  stop  to  consider  what 
ought  to  be  done  were  any  one  of  these  un 
called-for  aggressions  attempted  now.  And 
yet  so  great  was  the  American  antipathy  to 
another  war,  so  great  was  the  American  desire 

o 

to  hold  a  neutral  position  as  to  the  wars  of 
Europe,  that  neither  the  one  nor  the  other 
nor  all  together  were  sufficient  to  nerve  them 
to  strike  the  blow.  Still  another  and  a  stronger 
incentive  was  needed,  if  war  was  to  be  declared 
—a  grievance  that  would  appeal  to  the  heart  of 
the  whole  people.  And  not  only  was  this  in 
centive  found  ;  it  was  continually  present  and 
crying  aloud  for  vengeance. 

To  fully  appreciate  this,  the  chief  cause  of 
the  War  of  1812  between  the  United  States 
and  England,  one  must  first  know  well  how  the 
crews  of  the  British  naval  ships  of  that  day 
were  recruited  and  what  manner  of  life  these 
crews  led  when  in  actual  service.  As  to  the 
manner  of  recruiting,  the  facts  are,  no  doubt, 
25 


386 


THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 


well  known  to  almost  every  reader.  Gangs  of 
men,  under  the  lead  of  petty  officers,  and  com 
monly  piloted  by  a  crimp,  were  sent  ashore  in 
home  ports  by  the  captain  who  found  his  ship 
short-handed.  These  gangs  went  to  the  resorts 
of  seamen  in  the  port  where  the  ship  happened 


"The  Press-gang  Impressing  a  Young  Waterman  on   his   Marriage   Day." 
From  an  English  engraving,  ilhtstrating  an  old  song. 

to  lie,  and  there  took  by  force  every  English- 
speaking  sailor  they  could  find  and  carried  him 
on  board  the  warship.  Failing  to  find  a  re 
source  in  the  sailors'  boarding-houses,  they 
knocked  down  any  able-bodied  man  encoun 
tered  in  the  street,  and  lie  was  then  carried 
instantly  to  the  ship.  Failing  in  getting 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  387 

enough  men  in  this  fashion — as,  for  instance, 
when  the  ship  was  in  a  foreign  port  or  on  the 
high  seas — it  was  the  custom,  the  every-day 
custom,  to  send  the  press-gang  on  board  any 
ship  where  it  was  supposed  that  English- 
speaking  sailors  might  be  found,  and  there 
take  and  carry  off  all  such  sailors. 

The  life  that  the  crews  so  recruited  led  can 
not,  of  course,  be  described  here  in  full  detail. 
The  reader  will  readily  imagine  that  the  offi 
cers  who  snatched  a  man  away  from  his  home 
without  even  the  poor  privilege  of  telling  his 
wife  and  children  of  his  fate  would  not  show 
any  great  care  for  the  feelings  or  comfort  of 
the  man  when  on  board  the  ship.  But  any 
picture  of  the  life  there  which  an  American,  at 
the  end  of  the  nineteenth  century,  might  base 
on  the  mere  fact  that  sailors  were  kidnapped, 
would  be  wholly  inadequate,  for  the  reason 
that  no  American  of  these  days,  unacquainted 
with  the  facts,  could  imagine  such  a  degraded 
state  of  slavery.  That  the  crews  were  ill-fed  ; 
that  they  were  worked  to  the  limit  of  their 
endurance  ;  that  the  pay  was  as  nothing  (it  is 
on  record  that  one  kidnapped  man  received  £14. 
2s.  6d.  for  serving  two  and  a  half  years)  ;  that 
the  kidnapped  men  were  not  allowed  to  go 
ashore  and  were  not  allowed  to  write  letters 
to  their  families  where  any  effort  was  likely  to 
be  made  for  their  release — all  these  conditions 


388 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 


Another  View  of  the   "Young  Waterman  "  and  the   Press-gang. 
From  an  English  engraving. 

are,  or  were,  a  matter  of  course.  It  was  in  the 
matter  of  preserving  what  the  officers  called  dis 
cipline — in  keeping  these  unfortunate  slaves  in 
subjugation — that  the  real  brutality  of  the 
British  naval  officers  appeared.  For  the  offi 
cers,  who  depended  on  clubs  and  manacles  to 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  389 

recruit  their  crews,  made  no  appeal  to  them 
save  through  their  fears — used  nothing  to 
enforce  an  order  but  the  cat-o'-ninetails.  One 
undeniecl  description  of  the  flogging  of  a  man 
on  a  British  man-o'-war — a  man-o'-war  well 
known  later  on  in  the  annals  of  the  American 
navy — shall  serve  as  an  illustration  of  the 
ordinary  punishments  inflicted  there. 

In  the  year  1811  the  British  frigate  Mace 
donian  was  commanded  by  Capt.  John  S.  Car- 
den,  and  his  executive  officer  was  one  David 
Hope.  "  It  was  a  peculiar  feature  of  the 
brutal  punishment  of  flogging  that  officers  and 
men  who  at  first  sickened  and  fainted  at  the 
sight  of  it  gradually  grew  indifferent  and  in 
some  instances  acquired  a  craving  for  the 
bloody  ordeal  and  took  a  fiendish  delight  in 
superintending  it.  David  Hope  was  one  of 
these.  He  took  the  exquisite  delight  of  a 
connoisseur  in  the  art  of  flogging,  being  espe 
cially  fond  of  seeing  the  tender  flesh  of  boys 
lacerated  and  torn."  One  day  a  midshipman 
on  the  Macedonian  named  Gale,  "  a  rascally, 
unprincipled  fellow,"  lost  a  handkerchief.  A 
sailor  found  it  on  the  deck,  and  as  it  was  un 
marked,  kept  it.  Gale  saw  it  in  the  sailor's  pos 
session,  and  the  sailor  was  court-martialled,  con 
victed  of  theft,  and  sentenced  to  be  flogged 
through  the  fleet — to  receive  300  lashes  from 
the  cat — and  to  serve  one  year  in  prison. 


390  THE   HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

On  the  day  appointed  ^^.Macedonians  launch 
was  put  into  the  water  and  rigged,  under  the 
supervision  of  this  David  Hope,  with  a  frame 
on  which  the  bare-backed  sailor  was  lashed.  A 
surgeon,  to  keep  watch  that  the  man  was  kept 
alive,  boarded  the  launch  with  the  boatswain 
and  the  boat's  crew,  and  then  all  hands  were 
called  to  man  the  rail  and  rigging,  where  all 
could  view  the  torture. 

This  done,  the  lash  was  applied  to  the  man's 
back  until  "the  flesh  resembled  roasted  meat 
burned  nearly  black  before  a  scorching  fire." 

Then  the  launch  was  sent  to  another  ship 
and  to  another  and  another,  where  fresh  boat 
swains  applied  the  lash  anew  to  the  raw  back 
of  the  man,  the  doctor  standing  by  and  seeing 
that  the  man  remained  conscious  to  suffer  the 
torment.  When  220  blows  had  been  given  the 
doctor  ordered  the  whipping  stopped.  The 
sailor  begged  to  have  the  other  eighty  blows 
given  that  he  might  be  done  with  it,  but  this 
was  refused.  He  was  carried  back  to  the 
Macedonian  and  cared  for  until  he  had  recov 
ered  his  strength,  when  the  remaining  eighty 
were  given  to  him,  and  then  he  was  flung  into 
prison. 

Just  before  the  War  of  1812  a  deserter  from 
a  British  ship  slipped  on  board  the  United 
States  frigate  Essex.  When  an  officer  with  a 
gang  came  for  him  he  was,  of  course,  surren- 


THE    HISTORY   OF.  OUR    NAVY  393 

dered.  On  asking,  then,  that  he  be  allowed  to 
go  below  for  his  clothes,  permission  was  granted, 
but  instead  of  getting  his  clothing  he  ran  to 
the  carpenter's  bench,  picked  up  an  axe,  and 


The  United  States  Frigate  Essex. 
From  a  lithograph  at  the  Naval  Academy,  Annapolis. 

deliberately  chopping  off  his  left  hand,  he  car 
ried  it  on  deck  and  threw  it  at  the  feet  of  the 
British  lieutenant,  saying  he  would  cut  off  his 
foot  also  before  he  would  serve  again  in  the 
British  navy.  As  he  was  no  longer  able  to  do 
duty  as  a  sailor  the  lieutenant  left  him. 


394  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

Lest  these  stories  seem  to  the  humane  reader 
to  exaggerate  the  horrors  of  life  on  a  British 
naval  ship,  the  following  facts  from  the  London 
"Annual  Register  "  for  1781  (page  41  of  "Prin 
cipal  Occurrences  ")  will  be  found  conclusive  : 
The  total  number  of  men  "  raised "  for  the 
navy,  1776  to  1780,  was  170,928.  Of  these, 
1,243  only  were  killed  by  the  enemy,  while 
18,545  "  died,"  and  42,069  deserted.  More  than 
ten  per  cent,  of  all  who  were  "raised"  "died," 
while  almost  one-fourth  of  them  all  succeeded 
in  deserting,  in  spite  of  the  rigors  of  the  im 
prisonment  into  which  they  were  carried. 

It  is  necessary  to  give  figures  relating  to  the 
Revolutionary  period  instead  of  the  era  of  the 
War  of  1812,  because  British  officials  have  ab 
solutely  refused  to  publish  any  such  statistics 
since  1800. 

What  bearing  all  these  facts  have  on  the  War 
of  1812  between  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain,  if  not  plain  already,  will  very  soon  ap 
pear.  Animated  by  the  belief  that  "  our  mari 
time  supremacy  is  in  fact  a  part  of  the  law 
of  nations,"  and  by  the  further  belief  that 
"  America  certainly  cannot  pretend  to  wage 
war  with  us  ;  she  has  no  navy  to  do  it  with," 
the  British  naval  officers  kidnapped  English- 
speaking  sailors  wherever  they  were  found, 
even  when  these  sailors  were  confessedly  born 
citizens  of  the  United  States.  The  British 


THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY  395 

government  did,  indeed,  rule  that  where  an 
American  (natural-born)  had  a  certificate  from 
the  American  government  attesting  his  nativity 
—where  he  could,  by  documentary  evidence, 
prove  his  nativity — he  might  be  excused  by  the 
British  "recruiting"  gangs,  but  the  rule  was, 
in  fact,  a  mere  diplomatic  subterfuge  for  use 
should  policy  at  any  time  require  a  "  dis 
avowal."  In  actual  practice  the  only  judge  of 
a  man's  citizenship  was  the  recruiting  officer 
of  the  short-handed  ship,  and  the  lithe-limbed 
Yankee  sailor  was  just  the  kind  of  a  man  the 
British  press-gang  was  looking  for.  In  fact, 
the  British  periodicals  of  that  day  continuously 
scoffed  at  these  citizenship  papers,  and  it  was 
asserted  in  Parliament,  as  well  as  by  the  press, 
that  the  American  naval  officers,  as  well  as  naval 
officials  stationed  on  shore,  deliberately  issued 
false  papers  at  every  opportunity — in  short, 
that  the  Americans,  as  a  nation,  were  liars, 
perjurers,  and  forgers. 

As  early  as  1747,  when  Massachusetts  was  a 
colony  in  most  peaceful  relations  with  the  home 
government,  a  press-gang  caused  a  bloody  riot 
on  the  streets  of  Boston,  where  press-gangs 
were  "  already  stigmatized  as  barbarous  by 
public  opinion."  Indeed,  one  of  the  irritations 
leading  to  the  hostilities  begun  in  1775  was 
the  work  of  the  press-gang.  The  war  of  the 
Revolution  forever  settled  the  question  of 


396  THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

the  right  of  the  British  government  to  impress 
an  American,  but  instead  of  stopping  such  vio 
lations  of  the  rights  of  a  free-minded  people 
it  rather  increased  them.  For  the  hatred  and 
contempt  which  the  British  felt  toward  the 
Americans  as  a  people  during  that  war  was 
intensified  by  the  result  of  it.  It  was  the  per 
sonal  pleasure  of  the  British  officer  to  get 
these  Yankees  where  he  could  make  them  feel 
his  power.  It  is  on  record  (see  "  Life  of  Elder 
Joseph  Bates  ")  that  the  British  officers  were 
particular  to  see  that  these  Americans  took  off 
their  hats  when  the  band  played  "  God  Save 
the  King,"  and  that  a  common  form  of  address 
was  "  Here,  you  damned  Yankee  scoundrel," 
do  this  or  that.  That  the  "damned  Yankee 
scoundrel "  was  triced  up  and  flogged  on  the 
slightest  provocation  by  these  officers,  who  con 
fessedly  enjoyed  seeing  flesh  creep  under  the 
lash,  scarcely  need  be  said. 

No  sooner  was  the  war  of  the  Revolution 
over  and  American  merchant  ships  free  to  sail 
to  British  ports  than  the  outrages  began  on  the 
American  seamen.  It  was  literally  true  that 
the  United  States  had  no  navy  and  could  not 
wage  war  with  England.  We  did  not  have 
even  one  ship-of-war  left  to  carry  the  flag,  and 
the  party  that  ruled  the  nation  then  was  utterly 
opposed  to  building  one.  It  called  itself  the 
party  of  the  people — it  was  fearful  lest  some- 


THE    HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY  397 

thing  or  somebody  enslave  the  people — but 
when  the  friends  of  American  seamen,  shang 
haied  into  the  barbarous  slavery  of  a  British 
warship,  protested,  this  "liberty-loving"  party 
pigeon-holed  the  documents.  But  let  us  be 
just  in  this  matter.  It  was  the  liberty-loving 
party  that  did  at  last  declare  war.  The  oppo 
sition  preferred  to  trust  in  "the  humanity" 
and  "sense  of  justice"  which  the  offending 
nation  was  supposed  to  possess. 

So  the  press-gangs  worked  on  merrily.  Not 
only  was  the  American  walking  in  the  street 
of  a  foreign  city  in  immediate  clanger;  the 
American  ships  on  the  high  seas  were  stopped 
and  stripped  of  their  crews.  The  British  ships 
even  lay  to  off  New  York,  Boston,  and  other 
American  ports  to  intercept  American  mer 
chantmen,  from  which  seamen  were  taken 
until  they  were  so  short-handed  that  they  were 
lost.  The  American  seamen  were  left  to  face 
death  by  shipwreck,  as  they  were  disciplined 
to  death  on  the  decks  of  British  naval  warships. 
And  because  they  were  lithe  and  quick-witted 
—because  they  more  readily  devised  means  for 
escape  from  this  slavery  than  others — they 
were  transferred  to  the  ships  doing  duty  on 
the  coasts  of  Africa  and  in  the  East  Indies, 
just  as  American  prisoners  captured  during 
the  war  of  the  Revolution  were  sent  to  and 
compelled  to  serve  on  those  stations. 


398  THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY 

As  the  Edinburgh  Reviezu  for  November, 
1812,  admitted,  "they  were  dispersed  in  the 
remotest  quarter  of  the  globe,  and  not  only 
exposed  to  the  perils  of  service,  but  shut  out, 
by  their  situation,  from  all  hope  of  ever  being 
reclaimed"  They  were  doomed  to  slavery 
for  life. 

How  the  indignation  was  of  slow  growth— 
so  slow,  indeed,  that  it  needed  the  outrages 
of  the  Barbary  pirates  to  stir  it  even  to  the 
feeblest  blaze — has  already  been  told  in  the 
story  of  the  origin  of  the  new  navy.  But  at 
last  a  majority  of  two  was  found  for  a  resolu 
tion  of  the  Congress  declaring  that  a  seaside 
nation  ought  to  have  a  navy,  and  so  a  navy 
was  built — a  navy  so  small  in  numbers  as  to  be 
absolutely  insignificant  when  compared  with 
that  whose  "  supremacy  is  in  fact  a  part  of 
the  law  of  nations."  It  was  built  of  American 
oak,  manned  by  American  seamen,  and  sent 
afloat  with  the  American  flag  flying  from  every 
mast.  It  did  good — it  did  the  best  kind  of 
work — but  when  the  Barbary  pirates  were 
cowed  it  was  reduced  "to  a  peace  footing." 
There  was  never  an  effort  made  with  it  to  re 
sent  the  enslaving  of  American  seamen.  So 
the  aggressions  increased  continually.  And 
the  politicians  talked.  They  talked  about  the 
illegal  confiscation  of  American  ships  under 
the  decrees  and  orders  of  the  French  and 


THE    HISTORY   OF   OUR   NAVY  399 

English  governments — they  were  more  con 
cerned  about  the  dollars  than  the  liberties  of 
the  people — and  finally  when  war  seemed  in 
evitable,  they  seriously  discussed  the  advisabil 
ity  of  abandoning  the  seacoast  to  the  expected 
invaders !  The  chatter  about  no  European 
enemy  being  able  to  find  a  permanent  footing 
on  the  broad  American  soil,  where  so  many 
millions  of  freemen  were  to  be  ready  with 
squirrel  rifles  and  shotguns  to  repel  him,  was 
quite  as  common  at  the  beginning  of  the  nine 
teenth  century  as  it  is  at  the  end  of  it.  The 
word  "jingo"  was  not  in  use  in  those  days. 
But  the  men  who  asserted  that  government 
existed  solely  in  order  that  the  power  of  the 
whole  people  should  be  exerted  to  protect 
every  individual  in  all  his  rights  wherever  in 
the  wide  world  he  might  find  himself,  heard 
plenty  of  equally  opprobrious  epithets  applied 
to  them.  And  the  utmost  that  was  done  for 
the  sake  of  national  honor  was  the  building  of 
a  lot  of  boats  for  "harbor-defence." 

And  then  came  a  day  when,  to  the  injury 
that  had  been  done  unceasingly,  was  added 
insult,  the  memory  of  which  to  this  day  brings 
the  hot  blush  of  shame  as  well  as  the  flood- 
tide  of  indignation  to  the  brow  of  every  Amer 
ican  patriot. 

It  was  on  the  i6th  of  November,  1798.  As 
the  reader  will  remember,  this  nation  was  then 


400  THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR   NAVY 

actually  at  war  with  France,  although  no  for 
mal  declaration  of  war  had  been  made.  The 
French  ship  Croyable,  of  fourteen  guns,  had 
been  captured,  taken  into  the  American  service 
under  the  name  of  Retaliation,  and  recaptured 
by  the  French  ship  Insurgent.  Because  of 
these  troubles  a  fleet  of  sixty  American  mer 
chant  ships  had  gathered  at  Havana  to  await 
a  convoy,  and  the  Constellation,  Capt.  Thomas 
Truxton,  and  the  Baltimore,  Capt.  Isaac  Phil 
lips,  were  sent  to  bring  them  home. 

This  service  having  been  performed  in  sat 
isfactory  manner,  the  Baltimore  was  sent  alone 
to  convoy  a  smaller  fleet  from  Charleston  back 
to  Havana. 

On  November  16,  1798,  while  en  route  on 
this  passage,  the  convoy  fell  in  with  a  British 
squadron  consisting  of  two  seventy-four-gun 
ships-of-the-line,  one  ninety-eight-gun  ship-of- 
the-line,  and  two  thirty-two-gun  frigates.  Be 
cause  both  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States 
were  then  at  war  with  France,  the  two  nations 
were,  of  course,  allies  at  this  time.  Never 
theless,  knowing  that  the  British  ships  were 
sure  to  be  anxious  for  more  sailors,  Captain 
Phillips  signalled  his  fleet  to  square  away  be 
fore  the  wind,  and  so  get  out  of  reach,  while 
he  bore  up  to  have  a  talk  with  the  Englishmen. 

On  arriving  near  the  flagship — the  Carnatic, 
Captain  Loring — Captain  Phillips  pulled  over 


THE   HISTORY   OF    OUR   NAVY  401 

to  her  in  his  gig.  He  was  received  with  the 
usual  civilities,  and  then  was  coolly  informed 
that  every  man  on  board  the  Baltimore  who 
did  not  carry  the  government  certificate  that 
he  was  an  American  citizen  would  be  impressed 
into  the  British  service. 

A  ship  of  the  American  navy  was  to  be 
treated  as  merchant  ships  had  been  treated. 

Captain  Phillips  protested,  and  said  he  would 
surrender  his  ship  first.  Then  he  returned  to 
the  Baltimore,  where  he  found  a  British  lieu 
tenant  already  on  deck  and  mustering  the 
crew. 

No  form  of  protest  was  of  any  avail.  Every 
thing  said  or  done  excited  only  the  contempt 
uous  smile  of  the  lieutenant,  and  in  the  end, 
being  overpowered  by  the  great  ship-of-the-line 
squadron,  Captain  Phillips  had  the  humiliation 
of  seeing  five  of  his  men  impressed  in  the  Brit 
ish  service. 

Meantime  Captain  Loring  had  taunted  Cap 
tain  Phillips  with  the  statement  that  there  were 
already  a  number  of  impressed  American  citi 
zens  in  the  Carnatic  s  crew. 

And  all  that  the  American  government  did 
in  the  matter  was  to  dismiss  the  unfortunate 
Phillips  from  the  service — dismiss  him  as  a 
scapegoat  for  the  scurvy  sins  of  those  really 
responsible  for  the  disgrace  that  had  fallen 

upon  the  navy.      For  Phillips  very  well  knew 
26 


402  THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR    NAVY 

how  the  administration  had  pigeon-holed  the 
complaints  of  the  friends  of  kidnapped  seamen 
—knew  very  well  that  the  Navy  Department 
could  not  be  depended  on  to  support  him  in 
resenting  such  aggression. 

In  one  respect  Phillips  deserved  his  punish 
ment — he  had  sworn  to  defend  the  flag,  and  he 
did  not  fire  a  gun.  Not  only  should  he  have 
cleared  his  ship  for  action  ;  it  was  his  duty  to 
fight,  Nicholas-Diddle  fashion,  until  the  last 
plank  was  shot  from  under  his  feet. 

Humiliated  as  every  patriot  was  when  the 
story  of  this  outrage  was  spread  over  the 
nation,  greater  and  lingering  shame  was  in 
store.  Not  only  did  the  outrages  on  Ameri 
can  commerce  increase  as  the  years  passed  on  ; 
a  still  heavier  blow  was  to  fall  on  the  face 
of  American  manhood.  A  British  ship  was  to 
shoot  an  American  ship  to  pieces  in  order  to 
recapture  four  impressed  Americans  who  had 
succeeded  in  escaping  from  the  slavery  they 
had  endured — the  British  frigate  Leopard  was 
to  assault  the  Chesapeake  on  the  high  seas  in 
time  of  peace. 

But  before  that  attack  another  was  made 
that  was  less  aggravating  than  the  one  on  the 
Baltimore,  only  because  it  was  the  second  of  its 
kind — because,  being  the  second,  the  American 
people  may  be  supposed  to  have  been  some 
what  accustomed  to  their  humiliation.  This 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  403 

was  on  June  12,  1805.  Lieut.  James  Lawrence 
—he  had  his  revenge  afterward  in  the  Hornet- 
Peacock  fight — was  carrying  a  small  gunboat  to 
the  Mediterranean  to  help  in  the  war  with  the 
pirates.  Off  Cadiz  he  had  the  misfortune  to 
fall  in  with  the  British  fleet  under  Admiral 
Collingwood,  when  three  of  his  men  were 
taken  from  him.  That  the  administration  at 
Washington  (it  was  during  Mr.  Jefferson's 
second  term)  rested  easily  under  the  outrage 
is  plain  from  the  fact  that  only  the  briefest 
mention  of  it  is  made  in  any  history.  The  im 
pressment  of  Americans  was  such  a  common, 
such  an  every-day,  occurrence  that  the  fact  of 
three  taken  from  a  national  ship  was,  to  use  a 
newspaper  reporter's  expression,  worth  only 
a  three-line  jotting. 

And  another  three-line  jotting  is  devoted  to 
what  is  called  the  Leander  affair.  A  British 
squadron  was  cruising  off  Sandy  Hook  on  what 
is,  in  these  years,  the  favorite  American  ground 
for  yacht  races.  They  were  lying  in  wait,  as 
was  their  custom,  for  American  ships,  from 
which  they  could  gather  in  seamen.  When  a 
little  American  sloop  came  along  on  April  25, 
1806,  "a  shot  was  recklessly  fired  from  one  of 
them,  the  Leander."  It  is  fair  to  suppose  that 
this  shot  was  fired  as  a  joke  on  the  sloop's  crew. 
If  one  recalls  the  undisputed  character  of  such 
men  as  Lieutenant  Hope  of  the  Macedonian, 


404  THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

already  described,  one  may  readily  believe  that 
the  average  British  officer  of  that  clay  would 
have  thought  it  a  good  joke  to  scare  a  sloop's 
crew  by  firing  a  cannon-ball  across  her  deck. 
The  gunner  on  the  Leandcr,  to  make  the  joke 
as  laughable  as  possible,  aimed  carefully.  His 
shot  killed  the  man  at  the  tiller. 

When  the  people  of  New  York  learned  the 
facts  through  the  return  of  the  sloop,  the  local 
excitement  was  very  great.  All  the  vessels 
in  the  harbor  hoisted  their  flags  at  half-mast 
on  the  day  the  body  was  buried,  while  the 
Tammany  Society  attended  the  funeral  in 
a  body.  So  Mr.  Jefferson's  government  felt 
constrained  to  protest.  At  that,  Captain 
Whitby,  who  commanded  the  Leander,  was 
taken  through  the  form  of  a  court-martial, 
unanimously  acquitted  of  wrong-doing  and 
promoted. 

The  crowning  outrage,  however,  came  in  the 
year  1807.  Early  in  that  year  a  squadron  of 
British  warships  had  congregated  in  the  mouth 
of  Chesapeake  Bay  to  blockade  some  French 
men  lying  at  Annapolis.  The  American  Con 
gress  had  granted  an  appropriation  meantime 
(though  with  stingy  hand)  for  enough  seamen 
to  man  the  frigate  Chesapeake,  that  was  to  be 
sent  out  under  Capt.  Charles  Gordon  to  the 
Mediterranean,  where  she  was  to  take  the  place 
of  the  Constitution.  She  was  to  carry  Com- 


CAFT 


406  THE    HISTORY    OF   OUR    NAVY 

modore  James  Barren  with  her  (his  real  title 
was  captain),  and  he  was  to  command  at  the 
Mediterranean  station. 

The  Chesapeake  was  partly  fitted  out  at 
Washington,  and  then  she  dropped  down  to 
Norfolk  to  complete  her  preparations  for  sea, 
and  ship  enough  men  to  fill  her  crew.  While 
she  was  still  lying  at  Washington  seven  men 
applied  at  the  recruiting  station  in  Nor 
folk,  who  said  they  were  American  citizens— 
who  made  oath  to  that  statement,  in  fact,  and 
were  permitted  to  sign  as  members  of  the  crew 
of  the  Chesapeake,  and  they  were  sent  on  to 
join  the  ship  then  at  Washington.  Soon  after 
this  it  appeared  that  three  of  the  men  had  de 
serted  from  the  British  warship  Melampus  and 
four  from  the  Halifax.  Just  how  the  fact  that 
they  were  deserters  became  known  is  not  defi 
nitely  stated,  but  from  the  details  given  and 
from  the  manifest  ill-temper  of  the  British  offi 
cers  in  the  doings  that  followed,  it  is  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  at  least  one  of  these  seven  men 
met  some  of  the  British  officers  on  shore,  and 
feeling  safe  under  the  American  flag,  ventured 
to  reply,  in  disrespectful  manner,  to  remarks 
made  by  the  officers.  There  is,  indeed,  no 
doubt  the  officers  were  defied  and,  so,  deeply 
offended. 

In  those  clays  one   Erskine  represented  the 
British  government  at  Washington.      He  tried 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  40? 

to  have  the  seven  deserters  returned  to  the 
ships  from  which  they  came.  Now,  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  the  British  officers  were  in 
those  days  diligently  engaged  in  kidnapping 
American-born  sailors  from  American  ships, 
the  American  Navy  Department  had  issued 
strict  orders  to  the  recruiting  officers  "to  en 
list  no  British  subjects  known  to' be  such." 
And,  further,  it  must  be  said  that  there  was 
no  law  authorizing  an  American  commander  to 
deliver  up  deserters  from  foreign  navies  when 
found  in  American  ships.  Nevertheless,  an  in 
vestigation  was  made  as  to  the  antecedents 

o 

of  the  seven  men,  and  then  it  was  discovered 
that  the  British  officials  were  wholly  unable  to 
prove  that  any  one  of  them  was  a  British  sub 
ject.  More  important  still,  it  was  proved  that 
instead  of  having  voluntarily  shipped  in  the 
British  navy,  the  three  men  who  had  deserted 
from  the  Melampus  had  been  kidnapped  from 
an  American  merchant  ship  in  the  Bay  of  Bis 
cay.  Two  of  them  were  natives  of  Maryland, 
and  one,  although  born  in  South  America,  had 
come  to  Massachusetts  when  a  child  and  had 
there  become  a  lawful  citizen  of  the  United 
States.  The  names  of  the  three  were  William 
Ware,  Daniel  Martin,  and  John  Strachan,  and 
all  were  colored.  As  to  the  four  from  the 
Halifax,  it  was  not  proved  where  they  were 
born  except  as  they  swore  they  were  of  Ameri- 


4o8  THE   HISTORY   OF   OUR   NAVY 

can  birth,  but  very  likely  three  of  them  were 
of  English  birth,  for  they  deserted  the  Chesa 
peake  and  disappeared.  The  fourth  appears  in 
history  both  as  Jenkin  Ratford  and  as  John 
Wilson.  He  was  a  white  man  and,  unfortu 
nately  for  himself,  he  remained  on  the  ship. 

Because  the  three  men  were  definitely 
proved  to  be  American  citizens,  and  because 
there  was  nothing  to  disprove  Ratford's  oath 
that  he  too  was  one,  the  Navy  Department  re 
fused  to  surrender  the  men,  and  the  diplomatic 
correspondence  was  closed.  The  American 
authorities  having  received  no  protest  after  the 
decision  was  rendered,  supposed  that  the  mat 
ter  was  dropped  altogether. 

And  that  was  a  very  grave  error  on  the  part 
of  the  American  authorities.  For  so  great  was 
the  arrogance  of  the  British  naval  officers,  and 
so  strong  was  their  contempt  for  the  American 
government  and  people,  that  they  determined 
to  take  the  men  by  force  from  the  deck  of  the 
Chesapeake  as  soon  as  she  had  passed  out 
to  sea,  and  an  order  was  issued  by  Admiral 
Berkeley  commanding  any  British  captain  who 
found  the  Chesapeake  at  sea  to  board  her, 
whether  she  would  permit  it  or  not,  and  take 
the  men. 

Naturally  that  order  was  kept  secret,  and 
Captains  Barron  and  Gordon  (Barron,  by  the 
fact  of  his  rank,  was  the  responsible  official) 


THE    HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY  409 

had  no  idea  that  any  real  ill  feeling  existed,  let 
alone  that  any  intention  to  assault  the  ship 
was  meditated.  There  was,  indeed,  some 
grumbling  by  British  officers  at  Norfolk,  and 
the  officers  of  the  Chesapeake  heard  of  it, 
but  there  was  not  enough  in  it  to  excite  their 
suspicions. 

And  so  the  220!  day  of  June,  1807,  arrived, 
and  the  Chesapeake  was,  after  a  most  remark 
able  fashion,  ready  for  sea.  She  set  her  pen 
nant,  got  up  her  anchor,  and  with  her  decks 
littered  with  baggage,  chicken  coops— what 
not — and  her  rammers,  wads,  matches,  and 
powder-horns  stowed  no  one  knew  where,  she 
sailed  away. 

Meantime,  while  yet  the  Chesapeakes  an 
chor  had  not  been  gotten,  the  crew  of  the  big 
British  fifty-gun  ship  Leopard  had  made  sail 
and  gone  to  sea  slowly — so  slowly  that  she 
kept  the  Chesapeake  constantly  in  sight. 

At  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  Leopard 
brought  to  near  the  Chesapeake  and  hailed  her, 
saying  that  the  officers  and  crew  wished  to 
send  letters  by  her  to  friends  in  Europe.  It 
was  a  common  practice  for  warships  as  well  as 
merchantmen  to  carry  letters  in  that  fashion, 
and  the  Chesapeake  backed  her  mainyards  and 
waited  for  the  boat  from  the  Leopard.  When 
the  boat  came,  a  British  lieutenant  climbed  to 
the  deck  of  the  Chesapeake,  and  then,  instead  of 


410  THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY 

producing  a  package  of  letters,  he  drew  forth  a 
written  demand  from  his  captain  for  the  return 
of  the  sailors  alleged  to  be  British  subjects. 
With  this  demand  he  also  presented  a  copy 
of  the  circular  issued  by  his  admiral  which 
ordered  any  British  ship  falling  in  with  the 
Chesapeake  to  take  the  so-callecl  deserters 
from  her  by  force  if  necessary.  Captain  Bar- 
ron  was  very  much  surprised,  but  he  refused 
to  deliver  up  the  men. 

Meantime  the  Leopard  had  worked  into  the 
most  advantageous  position  for  attacking  the 
Chesapeake,  and  with  her  ports  open,  cannon 
out,  and  matches  lighted,  she  awaited  the  issue 
of  the  demand. 

The  lieutenant  returned  to  his  ship.  Cap 
tain  Humphreys  of  the  Leopard  mounted  the 
rail  and  shouted  : 

"  Commodore  Barron  must  be  aware  that 
the  orders  of  the  admiral  must  be  obeyed." 

No  reply  was  made  to  this,  and  the  words 
were  repeated.  A  shot  was  fired  across  the 
bows  of  the  Chesapeake.  Another  one  was  fired 
in  like  manner,  and  then  a  whole  broadside 
was  discharged  directly  at  the  American  ship. 

Being  wholly  unprepared  for  action,  the 
Chesapeake  could  make  no  reply,  and  for  twelve 
minutes  (some  accounts  say  fifteen)  she  lay 
there  helpless  while  the  British  seamen  worked 
their  guns.  Her  masts,  rigging,  and  sails  were 


CAFTT  SALITSBTOIT  FRTCE  HTOfFHKEYS.  ILK. 


412  THE   HISTORY    OF    OUR    NAVY 

shot  to  pieces.  Three  men  were  killed  and 
eighteen  wounded,  Captain  Barron  being 
among-  the  wounded. 

o 

It  was  deliberate,  cold-blooded  murder,  done 
to  compel  three  American  citizens  to  return  to 
the  slavery  on  a  British  ship  into  which  they 
had  been  kidnapped.  And  it  succeeded  in  its 
object. 

Being,  as  said,  wholly  unprepared,  no  de 
fence  was  made,  and  when  Captain  Barron  saw 
that  his  crew  were  being  killed  uselessly,  he 
hauled  down  his  flag.  Lieut.  William  H. 
Allen,  on  the  Chesapeake,  did  manage  to  fire 
one  gun  by  means  of  a  coal  carried  in  his  bare 
hands  from  the  galley  fire,  and  the  ball  hulled 
the  Leopard,  but  the  flag  was  already  down  to 
the  rail,  and  it  was  done  only  as  a  matter  of 
honor. 

So  the  crew  of  the  Chesapeake  were  mustered 
on  deck,  the  triumphant  lieutenant  returned, 
the  four  "  deserters  "  were  bundled  over  the 
rail  into  the  British  boat,  and  the  Chesapeake 
was  left,  with  her  dead  and  wounded,  to  work 
her  riddled  sails  in  the  course  back  to  Norfolk. 

The  Leopard  sailed  on.  The  unfortunate 
Jenkin  Ratford  was  hanged  at  the  fore  yard- 
arm,  and  the  three  who  were  acknowledged  to 
be  kidnapped  American  citizens  were  sentenced 
to  receive  500  lashes  from  the  cat. 

And  what  does  the  uninformed  reader  sup- 


THE    HISTORY   OF    OUR    NAVY  413 

pose  the  political  leaders  of  the  American  re 
public  did  about  it  ?  They  tore  the  Eagle  from 
the  American  coat-of-arms  and  substituted  the 


Taking  Deserters  from  the  Chesapeake, 


Porcupine — they  asked  the  British  govern 
ment  to  disavow  the  act  of  Admiral  Berkeley, 
and  they  ordered  the  building  of  188  more 
gunboats  for  harbor  defence  ! 


APPENDIX    TO    VOLUME    I 

PAY  OF  NAVAL  SEAMEN  IN  THE  FIRST  YEAR 
OF  THE  NAVY  AS  A  NATIONAL  ORGANI 
ZATION. 

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF,  $125  a  month.  Officers  of  a 
ship  of  twenty  guns  and  upward  :  captain,  $60  ;  lieuten 
ant,  $30  ;  master,  $30  ;  surgeon,  $25  ;  chaplain,  $20  ; 
midshipman,  $12  ;  gunner,  $15  ;  seaman,  $8. 

Officers  of  a  ship  of  ten  to  twenty  guns  :  captain,  $48  ; 
lieutenant,  $24;  master,  $24;  surgeon,  $21.66  ;  midship 
man,  $12;  gunner,  $13;  seaman,  $8. 

The  pay  of  the  following  was  the  same  in  any  class  of 
cruisers:  armorer,  $15;  sailmaker,  $12;  yeoman,  $9; 
quartermaster,  $9  ;  quarter-gunner,  $8  ;  coxswain,  $9  ; 
cook,  $12. 

Commanders  were  allowed  $4  and  $5  a  week  for 
rations,  and  lieutenants,  captains  of  marines,  surgeons, 
and  chaplains,  $4 

Prize  money  coming  to  the  officers  and  seamen  of  the 
Continental  navy  was  divided  in  shares  :  captains,  6  ;  first 
lieutenant,  5  ;  second  lieutenant,  4  ;  surgeon,  4  ;  master, 
3  ;  steward,  2  ;  mate,  i-J- ;  gunner,  T^  ;  boatswain,  i^  ;  gun 
ner's  mate,  1 4- ;  sergeant,  i.};  privates,  i. 

Maclay  notes  that  the  first  system  of  uniforms  was 
adopted  for  the  Continental  navy  on  the  5th  of  Septem 
ber,  1776,  when  the  Marine  Committee  decided  that  the 
uniform  for  the  officers  of  the  navy  should  be  as  follows  : 


416  APPENDIX 

Captains,  a  coat  of  blue  cloth  with  red  lapels,  slashed  cuffs, 
a  stand-up  collar,  flat  yellow  buttons,  blue  breeches,  and  a 
red  waistcoat  with  yellow  lace.  The  uniform  for  lieuten 
ants  consisted  of  a  blue  coat  with  red  lapels,  a  round  cuff 
faced,  a  stand-up  collar,  yellow  buttons,  blue  breeches,  and 
a  plain  red  waistcoat.  Masters  were  to  have  a  blue  coat 
with  lapels,  round  cuffs,  blue  breeches,  and  a  red  waist 
coat  ;  while  midshipmen  had  a  blue  coat  with  lapels,  a 
round  cuff  faced  with  red,  a  stand-up  collar,  with  red  at 
the  buttons  and  buttonholes,  blue  breeches,  and  a  red 
waistcoat.  The  marines  were  to  have  a  green  coat  faced 
with  white,  round  cuffs,  slashed  sleeves  and  pockets,  with 
buttons  around  the  cuff,  a  silver  epaulet  on  the  right 
shoulder,  skirts  turned  back,  buttons  to  suit  the  facings, 
white  waistcoat  and  breeches  edged  with  green,  black 
gaiters  and  garters.  The  men  were  to  have  green  shirts 
"  if  they  can  be  procured." 


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